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j-n 



CELEBRATION 



-r)F THI'- 



Municipal Centennial 



MORGANTOAA^N 



m 

i 



— r<)MAININ<; THF. — 

ADDRESS OF WELCOME, 

)\\ rWOK. W. 1'. WILI.KV. 

HISTORICAL ORATION, 

BY HON. WAITMAN T. WH.LEY. 

CENTENNIAL POEM. 

]\\ W . T. \V. BAHr.K. 

MORGANTOWN, W. VA , 

NEW DOMINION STEAM PRINT. 

1835. 




CELEBRATION 

OF THE 

MUNICIPAL CENTENNIAL 

—OF— 

MORGANTOWN. 



Containing the Address of Welcome by W^. P. Willey; 

the Historical Oration by Waitman T. Willey; 

and the Centennial Poem by 

V^. T. W. Barbe. 

(^uite early in tlie sprin<^ of 1885, the propriety of colelirat- 
ing the centennial of the incorporation of Morgantown began 
to he discussed. The all absorbing topic, however, was the 
l>iiilding of the Fairmont, Morgantown and Pittslmrg railroad, 
wliich was then in course of construction. But now and then 
the centennial would be mentioned by one of the numl»er of men 
who congregated around the places of evening resort, and for 
the time being there was a cessation in the surmises and con- 
jectures as to the probability of the completion of the railroad in 
the early summer. The news|)apers began t(t urge the iiuport- 
ance of the celebration; but they only reflected the underlying 
sentiment of the public; for at this time it can not lie (huibted 
that the people of the town were, from the lieginning. favorably 
impressed with the idea of the celebration. Tin- people of .Moi-- 
gantown are not an imiiulsivc oi- demonstrative |)eo[)le; but the 
zeal with which they uudiitook to celebrate their centennial, 
after it had been once abamhuied by those who had the matter 
in cliaruc. convinces us that the people weic always deejily iui- 



pressed with the importante of the celelnatidn. although their 
lack of manifestation (lonl)tl<'SK hinl iniicli t<> Ao with disiourai;- 
inj; the first eoinniittee. 

The exaet day on which the act was jtassed establishing the 
town of Morgantown was not known. Tt was understood to 
have l»een passed in October 1785; and. .it the iccpiest of some of 
the. citizens, I addressed a letter to the Clerk of the House of 
Deleirates at Richmond, Virginia, asking him to make a search 
for the date of the passage of the act. I icccived the follow- 
ing reply : 

ClF.Kk's OkFICK, IIoLSK of l)KLE(iATKS. ) 

IxicH.MoNo, Va., 3Iay 'I'.i, LSSS. ( 
R. E. Fa.st, Esq., 

Dear Sir: — 
Yours received at my otiicc duiing my a])sence from the city, 
else would have been answeicd sooin-r. I have refened to the 
Acts of 1785 passed during Octolier 1785, and there is no date 
of the passage of the act incorporating Morgantown. The 
journals of 1785 may ])e in the capitol l)uilding undei- my super- 
vision, and I will take pleasure in making a search for them, 
and, if I can find the date of the i)assage of the act you write 
about. I will iidtily yoii of the fact. 

Respectfully etc.. 

.]. Hki.l Hi(;(iEK, 
( lerk (»f House of Delegates. 

A shoit time afterwards I received the following letter: 

( i.kkk's Office, House of Delegates, | 
RinnioM). \'.\.. June '^. 1885. \" 
R. K. Fast. Ks(^. 

Dear Sir: — 
In Mccordaiice with a jd'omise made in a letter that I wrote 
to you. I li;i\-e made .'-iea I'eli to asc<'it ;i i n 1 lie d;i\ <it' tlu' month 
and month of the year. 1785, on wiiicli the act, incorporating 
the town of .Morgautowu. was passed. I regret to sa\- that 1 
have met with no success. Hy reference to the enrolled l»ills on 
paridnuent of that year, I find there is no date given as to what 
particular day an act wjis i)as.'<ed, but a general heailiug, "passed 
at ;i session begun Octobei- 1785." I made ;iu i-libit to find the 
.Journal of the House foi- 1785, but faileil in tin- attempt. 1 ;im 
sorry that 1 can not give you the information you write for. 1 
hope the failure to ascertain the e\;ict day on which your town 
was ineorpor;iti'(l will ha\e no damix'uing elleet on the glorv of 
your ci'iitenni:d eeleliration of its bii-tli. 

Kes|)cct fully. 

.1. l{i;i.I. HKiiiEK, 
Clerk of House of 1 )ele2;ites. 



Tlu' iu'\vsi)a|)er8 constantly urged tlie importance and necessi- 
ty of cck'l)ratin<>- the centennial. The Post on the 27th of June 
announced a town meeting, for July 11th, to be held at the 
Court House, for the purpose of appointing committees to begin 
the work of raising funds and preparing a program. 

Many of the citizens thought that the Town Council should 
inaugurate this movement, and make the preliminary arrange- 
ments: but the Council failed to act. 

In its issue of July 4th, the Neiv Dominion contained a 
lengthy editorial on the subject, fr(»m which the following ex- 
tract is made: 

Morgantown must celebrate its Centennial. Every sentiment 
of citizenship demands it. Kvery feeling of town pride demands 
it. Every claim of public spirit demands it. Our self-respect 
demands it. Our One Hundred Years of history demands it. 
It would be disgraceful to let the occasion pass without some 
adequate manifestation of our interest. To do so would damage 
our reputation abroad, and humiliate us at home. Our neigh- 
bors would point the finger of scorn at a people who were so 
dead to every sentiment of local pride as to ''make no sign" on 
such an occasion in our history. Besides, our centennial year 
is more full of interest and hope for our town than any other 
period of our history. Our railroad will be open. We will have 
water works and gas. Our po[)ulation is increasing and new 
buildings and imi)rovemcnts are apiiearing on all sides. These 
things give additional ius[)i ration to the desire for a centennial 
jubilee. 

On the Iltli (if July, in [)ursuaiice of the announcements 
made, f|uite a nundter of the prominent citizens from town and 
country assemliled at the court house to take into consideration 
the (juestion of celebrating the one hundredth anniversary- of 
the establishment of the town of 3Iorgantown. 'J'he meeting 
was called to order by the veneralilc P^x-Senator Waitman T. 
Willey, and on his motion S. C. Stewart, of Grant district, was 
elected ( 'hairman. 

On motion of [[on. John J. i'lown. [[enry M. ^lorgan. one of 
the editors ol" tlie l^nxt, and Julian E. P'ieunng, editor of the 
New Domitiloii. were elected Secretaries. 

Mr. Willey made the openir.g remarks, [{e said that here 
gretted tliat .so little interest was manifeste<l in the me«'ting: 
that it was a commendable movement, and would bind (»ur peojile 
more closely togethei-. It will, said he, cherish reeolle<tious of 
the past. It will engen<ler good will. Its results will be liciU' 
lieial in all resp<-its. It is due to tlie meUKuy of (tur aticestors. 



that representatives of the olden times, with their huntini,^ sJiirts, 
knoe breec'lies, moccasins and lindsey cf)ats, Ik- present. We 
should have the spinninsr-wheel, the flax l)reakin<«: machine, the 
wooden mould hoard plow, the old lonj; Hint lock rifle, as in 
contrast with the advantages of one hundred years. The old 
curiosities of the early da^'s should he collected and placed in 
the l^niversity ^luseum, Avhere they would furnish instruction 
for the historian, i)rol)ably for centuries. The work must be jjut 
in charge of determined and energetic committees. 

Mr. Willey then said: 

"Mr. ( 'hairman, I move you, sir, that ire do hold a centonn'dl :" 
the motion was carried unanimously by a rising vote. 

Col. Evans made some apprf)i>riate remarks calling for (ouu- 
cilmen Pickenpaugli and lloti'man who weie present. Both gen- 
tlemen i)ledged the Council to do its share. 

Judge Dille then addressed the meeting. lie made a s|)lendid 
and enthusiastic speech. Ho i)resented some i)oints not touched 
by the other speakers. He made the advantages clear to any 
who otherwise might have been skeptical upon the question. He 
showed the many advantages that would accrue to the town 
from a properly conducted and successful celebration. He de- 
clared there was no reason why it should not 1)e a great suc- 
cess and closed with an exhortation that we all go to work and 
make it so. 

Joseph Arorelaiid, Esij., also made one of his characteristic, 
forcible, and witty speeches. He said that we must celebrate. 
We can't afford to K't this matter go ]»y default. Let us carry 
it through. Tt will indicate to everybody that we have snap, 
pluck, energy and determination. It will inure greatly to our 
benefit to lia\e ;i!i a ppropriatc celebration. 

.Mr. .Moreland wanted to see the lirst passengi-i' trains come to 
Morg.-intown on that day. 

The chairman then made a (vw remarks and said the iieople 
tlirougiiout tile county were in favor of the celebration and 
\voui<l render in;iteri.Ml aid. 

.loiin .1. Brown tiicii otleri'd (lie following resolutions, express- 
ing the hope tliiil the sugiicstious contained in tliem might be 
atnciideil and coiTerted : 

At a nifcling ot' the cilizens of .Morgantowi held on Sylnr- 
i\-A\ the IMli ih\\ of July. ISN."». at 2 o'clock i'. m.. at the court 
Iiouse. after org.anizal ion and tlie selection of a ( liairuian and 
Secretarv, — 



Resolved, 1st, That an executive eoininittee l)e appointed, con- 
sisting of citizens, to be known as the "General Committee of 
tlie Municipal Centennial of 3Iorganto\vn," who shall have the 
whole subject of the Centennial Celebration in charge, with 
power to ai>point from time tf) time, sub-committees to carry 
into ertect. such program as the General Cuininittet' shall 
(leteruiiue to be fitting and expedient. 

2nd, That the General Committee ascertain and fix the day 
to be celelu-ated; select and ai)i)oint orators and essayists for the 
occasion and determine all matters in relation to the i)ul)lic 
order, pageantry, demonstrations, music, processions, tiring of 
cannon, fireworks, &c., including the place for the meeting of the 
people and the time and order of the public exercises thereat, 
and iu general, all the details in relation thereto, and in due 
time give public notice of the program. 

3d. That at the place of the i)u])lic gathering of the peoi)le, 
there be orations and i)ai)ers historical, descriptive and l)io- 
graphical. delivered or read, or so many of them as the time and 
occasion may justify. 

* -y.- * * ****** 

At the conclusion of the reading of 31 r. Brown's resolutions, 
on motion of Joseph Moreland. a committee, consisting of Col. 
Evans, E. Shisler. Senator Willey, >«'. >.'. Hotl'man, Judge Dille, 
James Hare and J no. J. Biown were appointed to consider and 
make a report upctu the program as suggested. The commit- 
tee retired to a private room and prepared tbe following leport 
wliii-li was atloptcd liy the meeting: 

Your committee report and recommend as follows: That the 
first resolution in the suggestions of John J. Brown be adopted 
by the lueeting with the following" modifications and amend- 
ments. That a Special Committee consisting of S. C. Stewart, 
of (irant district; James Hare, of I'nion district; Joseph More- 
land, of Morgan district: Jas. A. Faulkner of Clinton district; 
Aljjheus W. lirowu, of ('lay disti'ict; .Tames Sanders, of ( "ass 
district; Elias J. Ivldy. of Battelle district; and Geo. C. Sturgiss, 
James Evans, Henry Morgan. Jno. A. Dille and E. J. Evans be 
appointed to nu'et at the court house in Morgantown on Satur- 
day the 18th day of July at 2 o'clock v. m., who shall select the 
General Couiniittee aforesaid and give immediate notice to the 
gentlemen llicy select on sai<l (ieneral ( oiumittee, of their ap- 
pointment. 

On motion of James A. l);ivis tlu' repctrt of t lu' coniniit tee 
was adopted, and the Secretaries were instructed to inrorni tiie 
gentlemen selected for this coinuiittee of their appoint uieiit. ;iiid 
the meeting adjourned. 

'I'liis was the beginning. The meeting was not as largely at- 
tended as the most ardent supporters of the celeliration h.-xl 



Ldpcd for: Imt the assembly was a lepresontative one. It was 
eoiiiposed largely of the oldest meu of the town and country. 

There was i)resent in addition to those whose names have 
been mentioned elsewhere, the highly respected and industrious 
Philip W. Harner, of Morgan district, nearing the close of his 
seventy-seventh year. About four months afterwards his re- 
mains were laid away in the little cemetery at Rock Forge. And 
there might ahso have been seen the oldest citizen of the town; 
for the occasion was sufficiently interesting to induce the vener- 
able Frederick A. Dering to leave the postotlice, where he had 
served the people faithfull}- for a quarter of a century, who, now 
almost eighty-four years of age. and a little <lull of hearing, 
always voted aye on a venture. 

The Special Committee appointed by tlie citizens" meeting on 
the 11th of July, to select a General ('((mmittee. convened at the 
court house on the following Saturday and selected the follow- 
ing gentlemen to compose the General Committee, five of wliom 
were from the ])orough, and the others from the several districts 
of the county: E. Shisler, Prof. VT. P. Willey, Judge Jno A. 
Dille, Jno. C. Wagner and Wm. Moorhead. 

For Battelle district, Dr. A. B. Mason: (lay district, (apt. A. 
Garrison; Clinton district. Wm. K. Watson; Cass district, James 
Sanders; Grant district, Henry L. Cox; Morgan district, Jno. .1. 
Brown, and for Union district, Geo. W. Laishley. 

The General Committee was called to meet at the court house 
on the following Saturday and begin the ai^tive work of organ- 
izing for the celebration. 

This committee organized at tlic time .-ippointed liy electing 
John J. Brown Chairman and William P. Willey Secretary. 

At this meeting the general scope of the work to be under- 
(aki-n l)y the committee was discussed and agreed upon. It was 
determined tluit the work in each department shoulil be assigne(l 
to a Special Committee. And in puisuani-e of this plan .1. M. 
llagaus, George C. Sturgiss, Joseph .Moichuid. AN'illiaiii Moor- 
head. W. T. Willey, W. C. :\IcGrew and I.. S. Hough ueivap- 
pointe<l a Committee on Prograui. 

On Tuesday evening July 28tli the General Committee decided 
to hold the Centennial Celebration on Wednesday and 'Thursday 
the liSth and 21»tli of Gct(»ber. 

At this meeting the Chairman was directed to corres{»ond with 
the President of the F., M. A' 1*. 1^ K. ( o.. and ascertain whether 
the railroad would be completed and opened ui) for travel to this 



place by the day appointed for tlie celebration. 

L. S. Houjfh was made Secretary of the ( 'ouuiiittcf on Pro- 
sjram. No more important work was assigned to any committee 
tiian was assigned to this. Among other thin<rs it devolved 
upon this committee to determine tlie kind of exercises that 
should take place on the ditTerent days, ami the older of tlieir 
oecurrence; to ai)point tlie marshals; to tix uiK)n the older of 
l)roeession; to determine tlie route of procession; and t(» assign 
to the persons by whom the aiticles were to be prepared, the 
different subjects of essays and historical sketches for publica- 
tion. But the committee was well chosen and e(|ual to the im- 
pftrtant duty assigned them, as the results of their labor fully 
l)rove. The following is the program prepaix'd by them: 

1785. lOO. 1885. 



MLMCU'AL CENTENNIAL OE MOROANTOWX. W. \A.. 

()(Toi5KK 2.Sth and 2'.)tii. 1 880. 



P^0(5^fiII],' 



10 o'clock A. M.. Octolier 28th, 1885. 
Address of Welcome, by I'rof W. P. Willey, at court housi' S([uai-e. 

:5 o"cIock 1'. M.— Poem by W. T. W. Harlie. A. H. 

7 (."clock I'. M. — Old Folks Concert, at Academy IJall, conducted 

liy Prof. 1). 1;. I'Miiiiton. 

sEsorjD DM omom^ 29, 1555. 

lo o'clock A. M.- — Foniiiiig (iraml I'locessioii at tlu' heail of 

High Str«'el. 

< hief .M.irsliall. Captain (Jeo. W. McXicki-r. .\ids: Col. doseph 

.^nidcr, (liristian deiinewine. Kst].. Frederick Hn-akirou, 

E.s(i., ."Major .James Hell. AN'iii. F. \\atson. Ksip. ('apt. (). 

P. Jolliin-. (apt. I). .M. ( : nip. C:,pt. .Sjlus Hare. 

I):i\id ( hesiiey. Fs(|.. .lohii L;iii(l. Fs(|.. <apl. 

Alpheus (J.anison. P. S. Laiit/,. F.s(|.. Dr. 

Albert H. .Mason, Klias Fddy. Fs,|. 



s 

Order of Procession. 

.MoiLfaiilown ( oriK't Haml. 
01(1 citizens over 70 years of age. 

Indians on Horsel>ac-k. 

Morgantown and .Moigan Distriit Delegation. 

Masonic- Delegation. 

Band. 

Odd Fellows Delegation. 

Colored Delegation. 

Aneient ^'ellieles with AAeient Implements of Mannfact inc. 

Husl>andrv, Weapons. <fee. 

Clinton District Delegation. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, in Ancient Costumes, on Horseback. 

Grant District Delegation. 

Cass District Delegation. 

Cla}' District Delegation. 

"West \'irginia University Cadet Corps. 

Hattelle District Delegation. 

Public Free Schools of Morgantown. 

^ isiting Delegations an<l citizens generally.* 

Route of Procession. 

Down High Street to Foundry, down Foundjy to Fiont, along 

Front to North Boundary, along North Boundary 

to Sj)ruce, along Spruce to Pleasant, down 

Pleasant to High, up High to 

( "oui't House- S([uar»-. 

Diii'ing (he progress <tf the procession One Hiin(lic<l duns will 

lie lired. 
I :;{() o'cldck I-. M. — Histori(-al Skctc-h of Morgaulowu l»y Hon. 

W. T. AVilley. in ('ourt House Square. 

Centennial Anthciii will he sung l>y a select Ciuur conductctl l)y 

J'l-of. j). H. l*iniii((>M in (Diirt I Imise Stpiare. 

:i o"(-loi-k r. M. H.\N1) 'I'olHNAMr.NT. 

•tlfM) fi.r t Ik- IJanil awarded the first preiniuiu for i-xcclKru-i- in 

music; .+ .")(! lor the second, and $2") f(u- the third. Said 

lin-uiiuuis to the hands [tarticipating in the 

cxi-ri-ises of the occasion, to he <leter- 

uiiiii-d l»y a competent coni- 

uiittcc .sclectcil for 

the [lurposc-. 



9 

Essays, &c. for Publication. 

The topo«;r:ii)liy, hititude, IdUiiitude luul Ijouuibirics of !Mor- 
giintown ; its river and creek ; its streets aud alleys ; its bridges ; its 
prominent publie and [trivnte bnildings, past and i)reseut; its 
years of growth and develoi^nient ; natural scenery in and ai-onnd 
it ; its future, d'e. 

r.v HON. .1. y\. IIAOANS. 

Its institutions of learning, i)ast and present, tlu-ir trustees, 
regents, principals, professors, teachers, including the Tublic 
Schools of said town; the number and names of the annual 
graduates of the West Virginia University and the 3Iorgautowu 
Female Seminary from their respective organizations. 

By prof. I). K rriUNTON. 

Its religious organizations, including Saljltath Schools aud 
other church organizations; tluir numerical strength; church 
and parsonage buildings, past and present; Pastors and Super- 
intendents, etc.; years of growth and progress; prospects of 
moral and spiritual devcloi)nient in the future. 

?,Y KEY. A. L. WADK. 

The Courts held at its Court House; its Judges, Lawyers, and 
Court Ofiieers, past and present; changes in names and titles of 
its Courts; their jurisdiction, terms. <fec. 

liv HON. .lOllN A. DILL!-:. 

Its Physicians, past and i)resent, diseases incident to its local- 
ity, climate, modes of living, want of proper sanitary regulations 
past and present, suggestions to be made in the near future, to 
lessen the cause of disease and promote tlie health <'\' its citizens. 

Hv DR. .JOSEPH A. .McLANE. 

Its Mechanics, Artisans, Business Men and Manufactories, 
past and iiresent: i-aiiroad and water facilities for trade aud 
commerce; the public- niads centering in and passing through 
it; future growth and development p.n<\ i)rosi)erity. in connection 
with its business interests. 

Uv E. SHISLEH. ES(^. 

Its establishment as the County Seat of ^^onongalia County; 
the origin of its ^runicij)al Government; its Mayors, Trustees 
and Common Council, and other Muuiciiial otKeers; organization 



10 

of fire companies, or other means for extiujxiusliinent of fires: 
matters of interest from its records, in relation to its material, 
moral and sanitary improvements; years of marked progress and 
growth; the annexation of Durljannah; the formation of wards, 
and separate ward elections; suggestions as to its government, 
regulations and ordinances for tlie jHomotion of the welfare of 
its ])e()i»le in the future. 

Bv L. s. H(n(;n. ksc^. 

Tiu- genealogy of its inhaliitants, including its men of note, 
influence and usefulness; not excluding its humblest citizens, 
nor our friends and neighl)ors who have emigrated elsewhere; 
marked peculiarities and characteristics of its people; their 
soci:>l status, and tendencies; their amusements, sports, (fee. 

By miss 3IATTIE BROCK. 

Its Banking Institutions; their managers, directors and other 
otticers; their caj)ital stock; circulation, and banking houses, 
past and present; relation and benefit of tlu' bunks to the busi- 
ness, wealth and |)n)sperity of the people. tVrc. 

liv JOHN J. BROWN. ESQ. 

Its private soldiers, and officers in the War of 1S12, the War 
with Mexico, and the Wai' of the Reltelliou. 

Bv ( APTAIN N. N. HOFFMAN. 

The possibilities of the growth, progress and prosperity of 
Morgantown. and Monongalia County, in the future; including 
the resources of the ( ounty of all kinds. 

Bv (JEORGE ('. STURGISS, ESQ. 

Its newspai)ers, periodicals and magazines, secular and relig- 
ious; ])eriods of publication, respectively; names of their editors 
and pulilisiiers respei'tively ; average yearly t-ireulation; progress 
in tlie art ])reservative; })resses and machinery used in their 
publication; their influence and future prosi)ects; and the expe- 
diency in the near future of the publication of daily editions of 
newsi)apers in Morgantown. 

Hv .H'lJAN K. FLKMINC;. ESQ. 

Its Secret Soeieties, INIascnis and Odd Fell. avs, etc. ; dates of 
organization; theii' officers, past and present; character of the 
men composing their inembership; places and time of meeting; 



11 

their sot-ial gatherinirs and inlliK'Uce for good. 

liv PROF. THOMAS E. HODOES. 

Its ItuiKliu^c Associations; origin; tiuR' of duration ; auKnint of 
stock subscribed, and paid in; their oiKcers and agents; amount 
of weekly payments on stock, benefits to the town, in the erec- 
tion and repairs of buildings; their advantages as investments 
of capital, <fec. 

Uy I)H. E. H. COOMBS. 

Its practical jokes and jokers; its thrice told tales; legends, 
ghost stories, exaggerations, doings and sayings, marvelous and 
incredible: its fun, wit, humor, &c. 

Hv JOSEPH MORELANI). ES(^. 

Its women, who in the past or present. In- self-sucriticing de- 
votion in the cause of religion, have gone as missionaries to for- 
eign lands; or who at home in the fields of literature, science, 
morality, temperance, music or art, have become noted; or as 
wives, mothers, sisters or daughters, by their talents, worth and 
virtues have given character and repute to family and home, 
and left the impress of refining influences on society. 

liv MISS LILY B. HAGANS. 

A brilliant display of fire works and balloon ascensi(ms will 
take place in the evening of the second day. 

Arrangements will be completed for excursion 'tickets on the 
B. & O. railroad and its branches. All citizens and descendants 
of citizens of Morgantown and Monongalia county in whatever 
country or clime, are specially invited; and all the woild is 
welcome. 

liy order of the ( 'oiiiinittee. 

JOHN J. liKOWN. Pres't, 
L- S. llor(;H, Scc"y. 

The three districts nearest the town, Clinton. L'nion and 
Grant began making preparations to take an active i)art in tiie 
celebration. 

In Clinton district the member of the (ieneral Committee. W. 
E. Watson, was an earnest worker in behalf of the Centennial, 
and a meeting was called, the proceedings of whith we give as 
reported by the Secretary of the meeting: 

According to previous arrangement ijuite a numbiT of the 

i 



12 

citizens of Cliutou ilistriet convcuod at (liuton Mills, Aug. 29th 
for the purpose of making 'some arraugenients for taking some 
part in the eoniiug Centennial. On motion of J. A. Faulkiu-r. 
J. ('. Cartright was cleeteJ chairman, and Benson Jacolts Sec'v. 

W. K. Watson, a member of the Central Committee was called 
for and made a nice little speech in the way of stating the object 
of the meeting. M. IF. Steele. J. A. Faulkner and otheis made 
remarks. The I'ollowing coniiuittcc was appointed to make 
arrangements to take part in the coining ( 'entennial at Morgan- 
town. Oct. 2S and 2l», 1885: Misses Ada Watson, Jennie 3IcKa. 
Mary Arnctt. Jinnie Jollifie, ]Mrs. Kzekiel Trickett and INIrs. V. 
( '. King. Maymond Griggs, Ezekiel Trickett, M. L. Brown, James 
Jollirlc. James A. Faulkner, O. P. Jollitfe, E. L. IMorgan, Thomas 
Steele, Charles K. Jollitle, 0. C. Johnson, J. Marshall Jacobs. 
James S. Watson, Granville Brown, Timothy Bennett, E. T. Hol- 
land, L. L. Ilildelirand and Thos. P. Selby. 

The duty of this committee is to hunt up all the old articles 
in the district, such as old pieces of machinery, old clothing, old 
kitchen ware, in fact anything that is over one hundred years 
old. This committee is requested to meet at Clinton school 
house on .Saturday, September 12th, at 2 o'clock v. m., to consult 
and to make snch nirniigements as they think best. 

On motion. t!u' meeting adjourned. 

Bknson J.\coh.s, Sec"v. 

In I'nion District a meeting was called l)y George W. Laish- 
ley, meml)er of the General Committee, and son of the highly es- 
teemed divine, the Reverend Peter T. Laishley. Tlii'ir jnoceed- 
iugs were as follows: 

At a meeting liclil at Hude's Jlill some time ago, the following 
committees were appointed in the interest of the Centennial cele- 
bration to be held at Morgantown Oct. 28th and 2!>th. 

For Stcwarlstown — W. W. John, ( iiairmaii, Thomas Coalbank, 
W. S. ^b)rris, .^Irs. I). O'Grady. Mrs. K. StClair. Mrs. Cunning- 
ham and William Swindler. 

Easton — Col. Snider, James Hare, Thomas Protzman, M. ( . 
Courtney, Leonard Sel1)V. Mrs. J. Peed. Mrs. Jonah Bayles, Sr.. 
and ]Mrs K. ( '. Ross. 

Laurel Iron W(trk.s — L. Warman, John Bowers, Sr., J. N. Ba- 
ker, T. CJoodwiii. Mrs. C. Jennewine, iMrs. Jolm Costolo, Mrs. B. 
Jenkins and .b)!in Adams. 

It is liojied t hat [\\v chaii-iuen of the above committees will 



u 

call :i int'i'tiuu' at an vAv\y day to ()r<ianize ami maUe any and all 
preparations necessary to make tlu- ( enti-nnial (.•I'lcbiation a suc- 
cess, so far as Union district is concerned. 

W. S. SwiNDLicu, (hairnian. 
CI. W. Laisiii.kv, Secretary. 

The Hon. Henry L. Cox, the member of the General Cora- 
mittee for Grant district v.-as not less active tlian his fellow 
meml)ers of Clinton and I'nion. At a meeting at Laurel Point, 
on August 11th, the following persons were ai)})ointed a com- 
mittee for Grant district to co-oi)erate with the General Com- 
mittee on the Centennial Celebration: 

Gentlemen: — Henry L. Cox, B. M. Jones. D. M. Camp, James 
E. Dent. Silas W. Fleming, S. C. Stewart, S. P. Barker, J. P. 
Snider, J. I. Hess. John B. Gray, David S. 3Ioriis and I. C. 
Rich. 

Ladies: — Mrs. P^liza Linch, 3Iaiy Brcakiron. E. X. Snider, 
M. A. Arnett, S. McElroy, Nancy Hare, Julia Barb, Amanda 
Snider, Samantha Conway, Belle Baker, Laura Cox. and Miss 
Lizzie Lough. 

Thus was the work of organizing for a grand celebration fairly 
begun. Town and country werealive with enthuisiasm. Active 
l)reparations were on foot; and all was hope and expectancy, 
when certain matters transpired which blighted the hopes and 
dampened the ardor of its most earnest supporters and well 
nigh put and end to all preparations for the Centennial itself. 

For some time it had been rumored that the railroad would 
not be completed by the time set for the celebration; and Init 
few if any, really thought that it would not be in operation by 
that time. 

The Chairman of the General ( 'ommittee had written to the 
President of the (onipany for iiit'ormation in regard to the mat- 
ter. An answer was received. The committee met at the oMic-e 
of its Secretary on Thursday evening, the 17th of Septembei'. 

The (liairman presented the letter of Thomas M. King, Sec- 
ond \'ice President of the B. <t O. R. R. Co., and also President 
of the F. M. (fe P. R. R. Co., which was read by the Secretary as 
follows: 

BAi/mioKK, Se|)tember lOth, I880. 
Ml-. Jolm .1. Brown, (liairman ^lunicijial Centennial ( 'om 

mi t tee Morgautown. 

De(i7' Si?': — I l»eg t(» acknowledge your favor of .Inly ;>(», ami 
have deferrecl answering the same lioping that I ^•ollld, by wait- 



11 

iniif until the in-cst'iit tiiiK' ufivi- tJR' assurance asked for. that our 
line wouhl Ite eoin|)lete(l and in runnini!: f)rder in time for your 
celeltration. I doubt very luueh whether the same can be 
aecomplished liy the time indicated as we will be delayed in <:et- 
tinu,- the necessary rails for comjjletion of tracklayinii", and do 
not think that the rf»ad will be ready to open in time foi- the 
Centennial. Yours Truly. 

T11U.MAS .M. Kin (J. 

2nd Vice President. 

The Chainnan then introduced the followin<r resolution, wiiich 
after being fully discussed was adopted 1)V tiie committee: 

Resolved, That in view of the foregoing' information received 
1)V the General Committee of the JIunicipal Centennial, that the 
Fairmf)nt, Morgantown and Pittsburg Hallway will prol)ably not 
be com})leted to ^Morgantown, on or before the time fixed for 
said Centennial Cele1)ration. tlie General Committee deem it ex- 
p(vlieut tf) postpone said Cclebi-atiou until the said Tvailway is 
completed to our town. 

After adopting a motion that the Xetc Doininioit and the 
Post, and other newspajiei's having an interest in the ( elebra- 
tioii. were i-c(iiiestc(l to publish the proceedings of the meeting 
it adjourned. 

Mucii dissatisfaction prt'vailed when the action of the Com- 
mittee become known, lint the ('(inunitlcc had not received the 
encouragement they should have received from the people of the 
town. Before this time they had ai)i)eared to take little interest 
in the work of the Committee, and evidently i-xpected its mem- 
bers to do everything necessary to insure the success of the cel- 
I'bration without any demonstrations on the part of the citizens. 
l)Ut ;is soon as the |)ostponement became known mutterings and 
disappi-ovals began to be heard on all sides. The young men 
especially freely expressed themselves in favor of re-organiza- 
tion, and of proceeding with llic i)i-cparations for a grand cele- 
bration. A meeting was announced foi- Friday evening the 25th 
of Se[)tember. .\t this meeting it was resolved to proceed with 
preparations for the celebration, and the meeting adjourned 
until the evening of the following Monday, when it convened in 
greater numbers and with more enthusiasm than ever and unan- 
imously resolvcil to push the enterprise through, adopting the 
program pi\'part'(l by tlu- old ciuninittee as far as jjracticable. 

Hon. J. .M. I lagans was called to the chair and J. E, Fleming 
was elected Secretary. 

At the meeting on Fi'iday c\-ciiing a committi'c composed ot" 
Fd. ( '. rrotzniaii. .1. F. Watts and Alf. K. Suiith was appointed 



IT) 
to confer with the old conmiittee and to solicit their assistance 
auain in carryinu' out tiie original idea of liolding' a celebration 
on thi' liundicdtli liii'lhday of ."Nloruantown. The committee did 
its work well and received a hearty vote ol" thanks upfni pre- 
sentinu' its report which read as I'oUows: 

Mr. /'resideiif.: Yoiii' couunittet' appointed to confei' with the 
old committee report tliat we have met a majority of them and 
they express themselves as perfectly willinu' to clel)rate the 2*.)th 
of October as our municipal centennial: and will do all they can 
to make it a success. 

In our investiu'ations we lind that (piite a number who have 
been assigned work have their manuscri[)ts pre[)ared and ready 
for publication. 

Also we learn in an interview with Hon. W. T. Willey that he 
will deliver an address on that grand and glorious occasion. Mr. 
W. T. W. Barbe also has his poem written, and we are reliably 
informed that it is one that will do honor to the occasion. 

Now, .Air. President, after consulting so many of our worthy 
citizens upon the sul)ject of celel)rating, we would recommend 
that a committee be appointed whose duty it shall be to see that 
the programme as heretofore i)rinted be carried out and that 
they iiave power to add anything that will, in their judgement, 
contribute to the success of the occasion. 

Also that committees l)e api)ointed on finance, music, printing 
and decoration. Respectfully Submited, 

E. ('. Pkotzmax, ) 
J. E. Watts, r Committee. 
A. K. Smith, ) 

The report was adopted amid great applause and in pursuance 
of the recommodation of the report, the following general and 
other committees were announced by the chair. 

General Committee of Arrangements. 

Joseph Moreland, ( 'iiaii'man; Klias Ring, W. < '. !!McGrew, T. 
Pickcnpaugli, S. I). Iliischman, C H. Dille, Geo. M. John and 
II. M. .Morgan. 

Committee on Program, 

Dr. II. K Pazicr. V. II. Si. (lair, Alf. K. Smith. J. K. Watts 
:ind Jos. Moreland. 

Finance Committee. 

J. M. Kccd. J. S. Swindler, C. A. Haves, James (". Wallace, L. 



n; 

S. Hoiiiili. Miss Gortii' Ihiyrs. Miss I.iuv Jdlinson aud 3Iisa 
Maud McVick.T. 

Committee on Music. 

U. K. K:i8t, J. X.vc KiuxT, W. A. 3k'strezat, Pn.f. I). 1!. Pui- 
inton, I). ( '. Hortinau, Lieut. "Wilson, ('. E. Hopkins and Ed. ( '. 
ridtzman. 

Committee on Printing. 

X. N. Ilotfman, .1. E. FU'inini;, ( iiaiiii- Shanks. Frank Cox 
and ( ieo. C Ilayos. 

Committee on Decoration. 

['. J. Sheets, Will S. Hitchens, J. M. Kced, Jas. E. ^ladcra, 
Maivt'llus Carraco, ^Misses Callie Ilagans, Jessie ("oombs, Jennie 
Semans, 3Iarv TMlle. Nettie Xye and Bessie Finney. 

Committee on Old Relics. 

E. Shisler. I)i-. J. V. Fitch. W. K. Hollnian. Samuel Pieken- 
l»auirh and Henry ( '. Baker. 

The spirit of the nu'etin<i' iixlicated that the woik in every 
dei)artiiu'iit would be i)ro8eeuted with vi<r(U'. It no longer left a 
doubt in the nund of any one that the I'eli'biation would be a 
sueeess. 

In the meantime, subscription pajjers had been circulated by 
Alf K. Smith and James 'M. Reed and enough money was already 
subscribed to insure the sueeess of the Finance Committee in 
i-aising the necessary amount. 

At this meeting it was decided that all the exercises should 
take place on one day, Thursday, the 29th of October. 

At a subsecpicnt meeting of the Committee P^dmund Shisler 
was ajipointed to take charge of the display of Fire-works and 
additional supplies were din-ctcd to lie lU'dered. 

The credit of securing the financial success of the celebration 
is largely due to the persistent energy and determination of Alf 
K. Suiitli. W the lime when the greatest despondency prevailed 
(•\iT the action of the first committee in [xistponing the celebra- 
tion, he, not at all discouraged obtained within a few days sub- 
scriptions for more than half tlie money necessary to cany into 
effect the i>lans of the committee. 

'I'iie young ladies api)ointed on tlu' Financi' Coinnuttee Misses 
Gertie Hayt'S, Lucy .bihnson and Maud 3Ic"\'icker, deserve 
special mention. Their Committee held a Necktie Party and 



17 



Festival at Acnck-iiiy Hull, the net iroceedts ol" which amounted 
to about seventy-live dollars, for the Centennial fund; and while 
the young gentlemen of this committee all displayed commenda- 
ble zeal in their work, to these young ladies mainly, must be at- 
tributed the success of his enterprise. 

Sources of the Centerinial Fund. 



\V. Moorhead - - - $25.00. 
Georsre C. Sturaiss - 25.00. 
James C. Wallace - - 25,00. 
Edmund Shisler - ^ 10.00. 
James M. Reed - - - 10.00. 
Waitman "W. Houston - 5.00, 
James P. Fitch - - - 5.00. 
Samuel Hitch ens - - - 5.00. 
A. P. Stewart - - - - 1.50. 
Henrv C. Baker - - - 2,50. 
J, Clarence McVicker - 1.00. 
Spencer S. Wade - - - 5.00. 
William H. Bailey - - 5.00. 
J. B. Haines, Jr. ' - - - 5.00. 
Jo!m A. Dille - - - - 5.00, 
J. Marshall Hagans - - 5.00. 
William Vraguer - - - 5.00, 
James Evans - - - - 10.00. 
Joseph Mortland - - - 5.00. 
Henry B. Lazier - - - 10.00. 
Henrv S. Haves - - - 5.00. 
Clark McViJker r - - 1.00, 
A. Bi"own Boughner - - 1.00. 
Samuel Hackney - - - 1.00. 
George C. Baker - - - 1.00. 
Lewis Ha<>edorn - - - 1.00. 
Walter P.' .^ladera - - - .50. 
Edwin Weidman - - - .50. 
George A. Lees - - - 1.00, 
James Dawson ----- .75. 
James S. Stewart - - 2.00. 
Charles Merrifield - - 1.00. 
U. Jerome Sheets - - 1.50. 
Arthur M. Kramer - - 2.00. 
Charles A. Madera, - - 1.5(». 
Frederick A, Hennen - 2.50. 

J. E. Shav 1.00. 

John B. Willev 2.00. 

George W. McViekiT, 2,00. 

»'Jay GouUr' . - . . .50, 
Net proceeds of festival - 75.00. 
Total, 



T. Pickeniiaugh - - $25.00. 
Waitman T. Willev - 25,00, 
William C. McGrew - 10.00. 
Frelinghuysen St. Clair 10.00. 
George C." Hayes, & Co., 5.00, 
S. D.^Hirschnian - - - 5.00. 
William P. Willey - - 5.00, 
Gregg & Son - - - - 5,00, 
George W. Debolt - - 2.50. 
W. T. Kern - - - - 1.00. 
Frank A. Shean - - 1.50, 
Henry M. Moroan - - 5,00. 
E. m! :\Iarshall - - - 5.00. 
Elias Ring ----- 5.00. 
Luther S. Brock - - 5.00. 

John H. Hoifmau - - 5.00. 
John C. Wagner - - - 5.00, 
James P. Donley - - 5.00, 
Richard E. Fast - - - 5 00, 
Proceeds of badaes sold 16.00. 
James :\!. Bell "- - - 2.00, 
Win Kiger ----- 1.00. 
I. Scott'Reed - - - 2.50. 
George C. Steele - - - 1.00, 
Thos E. Hodges - - - 2.00, 
L. J. Holland - - - - 2.C0. 
E. C. Protzman - - - LOO. 
Mathew Harris - - LOO. 

J, N, Pickenpaugh - - .50. 
John D. Lewcllen - - - 75, 
Samuel Pickenjiaugh - 2.00. 
Job S. Swindler - - - 2.00. 
Chauncey R Huston - 1.00. 
Henry Fenton Rice - 1.50. 
C. W". Deriug - - - LOO. 
E. W. Penninuton - - 1.50. 
David H. Stine - - - LOO. 
Manlitr Hayes - - - - :LO0. 
Havrnoud Giigas, - - LOO. 
T. W.Andersoil - - - - 1.00. 
Order from r.,iin.il - luO.OO. 
^:••554.00. 



18 

The (oininitte'e lit'ld its last meeting prior to the Centennitil 
on the ^Nlond'iy evening- preceding that event. The following 
extracts are made from the minutes of that meeting: 

J. M. Reed reported over i)>400 in the hands of the Finance 
Committee besides the ex})ense for decorations, which had lieen 
provided for. 

The Chairman of the Committee on ]Music reported progress, 
and the services of several bands had been secured. 

On motion it was ordered that the business men of the town 
1)0 requested to close their places of business on the 2Uth be- 
tween the hours of 10 and 12 o'clock. 

J. }.[. Kccd. J. E. Fleming and Dr. Lazier were appointed a 
committee to confer with Lieut. J. L. Wilson and arrange for the 
part he was to take in the Centennial procession. 

Geo. M. John and Job Swindler wore appointed a committee 
to make arrangements for the conveyance of citizens over 70 
years of age in the procession. 

The Committee on Finance was directed to call upon the citi- 
zens of the town who had not subscribed to the Centennial fund 
and solicit subscriptitms from them. 

On motion it was ordered that 3Iessrs. John and Swindler 
provide carriages to convey tlie ^layor and Councilnien of the 
town in the procession. 

R. E. Fast was chosen to prei)are a history of the Centennial 
and of its celeliration, and to suiH-rintcnd the jjuldication of the 
sketches and essays in book form. 

E. Shisler and James ]M. Keed were a})i)ointed a sub-committee 
to audit all accounts made by order of the General Committee. 
These accounts were all promptly settled by this committee and 
paid by the Treasurer of the Finance Committee, Job S. Swind 
er. 

The following ivsolutions were unanimously adopted: 
/ienofced. That the color which shall be indicative of the sen- 
timent of tlie town in its municipal capacity in the future, shall 
be sky blue, emblenuitic of lidelity and truth. 

lies'i/ccil. That the coat arms of the town of Moi-gantown 
shall be as follows: For the reverse, a medallion, on the outer 
faceofwliich shall be the words "Morgantown, West Virginia. 
Condita A. 1). 1785," surrounding the words "Centennial. Wel- 
come 1885," and on the ol)verse the motto, "^'estigia 
Nulla Retrorsum, "and the legend "Regina Monongahehe," 
on the outer face surrounding a figure of a rpiccn M'ith U[)- 



!9 

lifted sceptre, with a riwr llowin.^- :it her teet. and the rising 
sun appe;^. rinii' <»\er distant mountains in the east. 




The above cuts represent t!ie eoat-of-arins adopted 1iv the 
General Committee. 

It is unique in desiirn. and lioth motto and leuend are sujiges- 
tive of future progress and prosperity. As tlie years yo l)v thie 
appreciation of this elegant design will doulttless increase. 

It was designed and drawn ])y Miss Lillic H. {lagans, and the 
motto and h'gend were suggested liy her father. th<' lion. John 
.Maishall Ilagans. 

Preparations for decorating thi' town liad liegun :< wi'i-k 
Ix'foic liy the Ticrn'ral and SiJtrial Centennial Conunittei' on 
Decoration, tfec , and the fair hands of our lovelv women were 



20 

industriously engaux'd in deftly and artistically framing 
wreaths of evergreens and Ijeautiful designs to decorate the 
arches to be erected at the intersection of our principal streets. 

While these were at work, our citizens generally were bestir- 
ring themselves in procuring Hags, banners, Chinese lanterns and 
other patriotic devices to a[jpropriately adorn their houses and 
l)laces of business. 

Wednesday evening the .street decorations were completed. 
Four large staffs were erected at the intersections of the main 
streets, and the approaches from bridges were also adorned in 
the same manner. From these were erected graceful archways. 
lii'Mutilicd with National colors and wreaths of evergreen. 

The word "Welcome,"' in l)()ld, large letters, greeted the invad- 
ing hosts from the four points of the compass; and, with stream- 
ing and dancing colors gleefull}- tossing about in the October 
breezes and jilaying "•hide go seek" from housetop, window and 
door way, the sight was indeed an enchanting one. 

In addition* to decorations made In* the Committee many resi- 
dences and places of business were tastefully adorned. Among 
the former might have been, distinguished the residences of Mrs. 
Boughner, (whose lawn attracted much attention) Prof. I. C. 
White. L. S. Hough, Albert E. Lazier, John M. llagans. ]Mrs. 
Jane llagans, Mrs. Elizabeth Anderson, Dr. L. S. Brock, George 
C. Sturgiss, Job S. Swindler, X. N. Hotlman, Dr. W. C. Kelly, 
James P. Donley, Joseph Moreland. William C. McGrew, Ralph 
]>. Berkshire, F. K. O'Kelly, Elza C. Lazier, Dr Henry B. Lazier 
and many others. Among the latter were the business houses 
of Thornton Pickenpaugh, G. W. John <fe Co., the Wallace 
House, the Commercial Hotel, W. C. McGrew, S. D. Hirschman, 
Klias Ping, Samuel Hitchens and Gregg & Son. The Court 
House, Female Seminary and Odd Fellows' Hall were also ele- 
gantly festooned and garlanded, and flags and banners were 
freely displayed. 

During the early part of the week the weather had been fair 
and it was hoped that it would continue so until after the cele- 
bration. But on Wednesday afternoon the sky became overcast 
with clouds which threatened rain, and by evening a gentle rain 
had set in — which at intervals suljsided for a while. 

The advent of Putter's Silver Cornet Band, Wednesday even- 
ing, from rniontown. Pennsylvania, lent enthusiasm to the 
crowds of people that wvvv gatlu-ring on the streets, tnid in the 



21 

evening that splendid nuisieal organization rendered some of 
tiieir ehoieest pieees in the Public Square. 

The Grafton Baud had been summoned by telegram only the 
evening befoie, and it was not until after niglit that they ar- 
rived. 

Notwithstanding the lowering clouds and the intermittent 
rain, the crowd came. Thej' came from every point of the com- 
pass. They came from neighlK)ring towns and counties and from 
many diti'erent States. They came from every hill and valley of 
Monongalia county. They came who had not looked upon their 
native town for twenty or thirty years. The old man whose 
head had whitened and whose face had wrinkled with wasting- 
years and whose every trace of boyhood had departed; whose 
family and relatives and even his acquaintances had quite all 
"passed over the river," came back to look upon the streets and 
stand in the shadow of the houses that were familiar to his boy- 
hood, and perchance to trace in the countenances of the children 
about him some features that would recall the memory of the 
friends of other years. They came who, leaving us as boys, had 
grown into stalwart men. and who returned as children to a fond 
mother to receive her em])race. Our neighbors and friends of 
adjoining towns came in to renew old acquaintanceship, Monon- 
galians whose faces are seen less frequently every year on our 
streets, were here. They are growing old, but the old patriotic 
fire flamed u}) on the Centennial anniversary. The young men 
and maidens, with all the Hush and llame and flourish of youth, 
dashed in behind their foaming horses. From every nook and 
corner of the county they filed in and filled up the town; filled 
u\) the streets and the side walks, and the open stores and ho- 
tels and by-places, until the town swarmed with humanity from 
one end to the other. Everybody said what should we have done 
with the people if the railroad had been completed, or even if 
the weather had been fair. As it was tiu-re was not a bed un- 
occupied on that eventful Wednesday night. The hotels were 
crowded to overflowing, and our citizens displayed their hospi- 
tality l)y accommodating many with sleei)ing apartments. Vis- 
itors continued to arrive at intervals during the night. The 
spacious court room and thi- jury rooms were placed in charge 
of a special i)oliceman, and o))ened to accommodate those who 
could tind no l)etter (luarters. One elderly gentleman, somewhat 
past the prime of life, who airiviMl latr, laitl down on a liench in 



the eoiiit room and slept soundly until morning. He declared 
it was the liest night's rest he had enjoyed for years. 

Nearly all night, at short intervals, the threatening ck-uds 
shed copious showers, and after midnight, when the Court 
House l)ell pealed forth the signal that the one hundredth anni- 
versary had come, the fates still frowned upon us, and an insid- 
ious (-astern wind was still driving anurv clouds with (Irizzlino- 
rain upon the town. 

At dawn of day, however, the elements subsided sf>rnewhat 
and the rain ceased, although the weather was still threatening. 

From early morn until noon it did not rain, and the surging 
masses of humanity began to pour in. They came in wagons, 
in carriages, on horsel)ack and on foot — "from the hilltop.s, the 
valleys and the plains." By ten o'clock it was estimated, by 
some, that there were from 4,000 to 5,000 people in town; and 
some even put the number as high as G.OOO. Fairmont. Grafton, 
Lniontown. Mt. Morris, Kingwood and other neighboring towns 
sent in their delegations, and old citizens from the length and 
breadth of the land came home. From Virginia, the mother of 
States, and from Nebraska, one of the latest born, they came 
and more than welcome. Letters and telegrams of congratula- 
tion were received from every direction : and even from the far away 
Pacific slope — the land of the sun-set sea — the lightning's Hash 
brought tokens of affectionate remembrance. 

Invitations had been sent broadcast over the country to old 
Monongalians and others, to be present; in fact, the "whole 
world" was invited to come and i)articipate in the jovsofthe 
day. 

The street display on occasions of this kind is always one of 
the most important features. It is something to be seen, some- 
thing to talk of afterwards and something that everybody can 
appreciate. The rains had made the streets (juite muddy, but 
the i^rocession proceeded nevertheless. The crf)wds and delega- 
tions were mustered into line by Chief Marshall McVickcr. and 
observed the following order: 

Rutter's Cornet Band. 

Tiic .Mayiii- niid Town Council in Open ( airiagcs. 

Masonic Delegation. 

Martial Band. 

State Cadets, under command of Lieutenant Wilson. 

Artillerv. 



23 

INloriiantown Cornet Band. 

Odd Fellows' Delegation. 

Grafton Bund. 

Indians. 

Citizens in Carriages and on Horseback. 

The time occupied bv the procession was something near an 

hour, but the throngs marched patiently and joyously on 

through the disagreeable streets. 

THE ROUTE OF PUOCESSIOX WAS 

From Court House Square to head of High Street, out Boundary 

to Front, down Front to Foundry, up Foundiy to 

High, up High to North Boundary, up 

Xorth Boundary to Spruce, down 

Spruce to Pleasant, then down 

Pleasant to High, up High 

to Court House 

Square. 

IMasonic Delegations, Citizens over 70 years old, Ladies and 

Gentleman in Ancient Costumes and Morgantown Delegations 

formed in front of Court House. 

The University Cadets and the Union District Delegations 
joined the procession on North Boundary street. 

The Odd Fellows' Delegation formed at Odd Fellows' Hall 
and marched down Walnut street in time to join the procession 
on Front street. 

Delegations from the West Side joined the procession at the 
east end of the suspension bride. 

<.'linton District Delegations and Indians on Horseback joined 
the procession at the lower end of Front street. 

Morgan District Delegations and Masqueraders joined the 
procession at east end of Kirk alley, opposite Presbyterian 
church. 

At aliout 1L::J0 o'clock the procession drew n\) in front of the 
speaker's stand on Court House Square, and was there rein- 
forced by the crowds of men, women and cliihiren who had not 
been in the procession. The speaker's rostrum had been erected 
directly in front of, and connected with, the court house portico. 
The national colors and laurels and evergreens were woven grace- 
fully about, while above the speaker's head was the motto of 
West Virginia. Montnni Semper Libert, while surrounding the 
speaker's stand, after simibir i)attern and design was thi' motto 



24 

oftho old mother State, Sic Semper Ti/ramiia, 

Joseph Moreland, Chairman of tho General Committee, called 
the vast multitude to order and proposed the name of Col. James 
Evans as Chairman of the meeting. Col. P2vans was nuani- 
mousl}' elected and at once assumed the duties of his ottice. 
The organization was completed by the election of the follow- 
ing Vice-Chairmen: Zackwell ^Morgan, F. A. Bering, James 31. 
Kern, Thornton Hurry, R. L. Berkshire, George Kiger, B. M, 
Dorsey, James A. Hawthorne, Albert Madera, D. G, Thompson, 
W. A. Watts, E. Shisler, M. R. Chalfant, James H. Rogers, W. 
Wagner, H. D. McGeorge, Geo. W. Johnson, Manlitf Hayes, H. 
B. Lazier, John Protzman, Dr. J. A. McLane, Sanford Picken- 
paugh, J. yi. Hagaus, G. R. C. Allen and D. H. Chadwick. 

THE ADDRESS OF WELCOME 

was delivered l)y Prof. W. P. Vfilley, of the University, and was 
one of his happiest efforts. It was full of allusions that "touch- 
ed the crowd in tender places," and the crowd responded with 
manv expressions of approval. 3Ir. Willey did not write his ad= 
dress, and spoke withoiit notes. The following is a substantial 
report of his speech : 
Fell'no Citizens of Morynnfoicn mid of MonoiKinlin; 

After looking into the faces of this vast assemblage I am 
warranted in sa^-ing that this is peculiarly a "family- reunion.'' 

I see here the faces of Monongalians, who have been: who are 
yet; and 3Ionongalians who will continue to be — ma}' be till the 
next Centennial anniversary. 

The great-grand-children of the founders of this town, with 
their children, and childrcns'' children aiH' here to-cbiy to cele- 
brate its one hundredth anniversary. 

About three generations have stood between you and the 
forefathers. No man's life in all this multitude, reaches back to 
the initial point of our municipal existence. 

One hundred years is a long reach of municii)al history, fellow 
citizens, and a great many changes have taken place both in our 
population and in our town itself, "The same heavens are 
indeed over our lieads," and the same l)eautiful Monongahela 
I'olls at your feet, 1)ut all else is changed. 

These grand old hills around us have been bereft of their 
forest trees. The sturdy oak and the walnut and the chestnut 
have been supplanted In-* the fruit tree and the orchard. The 
horse and the ox arraze where the wild beast roamed at will. 



2o 

The Indian's ciiuoe has I)(.'on supiTseded on our rivoi' by the 
beautiful steamer. His wigwam has boon displaoed In- Iho 
oapaoious and somewhat elegant mansion. The log sohool-house 
has been over shadowed by the magnifioent buildings of the 
State Uuivorsity. And all around us are the evidenees of a 
modern and somewhat progressive oivilization. 

It will not be out of place, in view of the oeeasitm, if we 
indulge the disposition to "point with pride" somewhat to-day, 

We do not l)oast specially of our growth in population and 
wealth — the fact is, we shall purposely avoid bringing fi a-ward any 
statistics on this head — statistics are for the most part dull and 
uninteresting. We have not grown in population as some other 
younger towns and cities; but we point with pride to-day to the 
fact that old Morgantown is the cradle in whicli lias been rocked 
many of the influential and representative men of other com- 
munities in almost every state of the Union. You can find 
them wherever j'ou go. And when you do find an old citizen of 
Morgantown, and whez'ever j-ou find him, there are two things 
he is almost certain to mention — the first is that he is a native 
of old Morgantown; and the second, that he would like to get 
back to the dear old place ! 

From the time when tlie pioneer first erected a cabin on this 
little peninsula where the town now sits, there has ever been a 
deep and tender attachment manifested In- the population to the 
l)lace. The Red ^lan himself made a bitter figlit for the owner- 
ship. After he had built his camp-fire and hunted his game 
over these hills and valleys, floated his canoe over the smiling 
waters, quenched ;his thirst from its sparkling springs, and 
taken a view of the grand sweo}) of landscai)e up and down this 
l)eautiful valley, methinks he sharpened his knife and strength- 
ened his bow in the deep resolve to resist the pale-faced invader 
who should dare attempt to divest him of his title. And the 
tragic scenes that are a part of the history of that early time 
are proof that he made good the resolve. 

Neither do we boast, as I have said, of our growtli in wealth. 
We have not built an}' grand public edifices, or manufactories, 
or railroads, and our Imsiness enterprises have been modest and 
unpretentious. Tlie fact is that the ainbition of our population 
lias never run much to the possession of the almighty dollar. 

History tells us of an ancient city that was suddenly ovor- 
whclinod by the enn>tion of a iniglit}- volcano. Its houses, its 



•2(5 

people and its every spire were siuldeuly eovered out of sight Vty 
the burniug lava and ashes of this terrible eruption. Explorers 
have recently dug down into the streets and dwellings of that 
city and found its inhabitants fixed or petrified, so to speak, in 
the positions and attitudes in which they had been so suddenh" 
surprised — the mechanic with his tools, the housewife at her 
domestic duties and other classes of the population in the midst 
of their vocations. V.'e have thus obtained a strange revelation 
of the manner in which the people of *hat ancient city were em- 
ployed. 

I have thought tliat if such an event should have happened to 
3Iorgantown at any time within the last one hundred years, the 
explorer would have found our population occupied with two 
principal employments. He would certainly have discovered 
first, that all the youth of the community were gathered to- 
gether in the schools under their teachers receiving projjcr dis- 
cipline and education. From its earliest history our community 
has given a first consideration to the education of the young. 
The second chief occupation might probably have appeared to 
be that of enjoying a "sc^uare meal" — for we have ever been 
famous for a "bountiful board," and our wives and daughters 
fOi- their skill in providing a palatable meal. And around the 
bountiful board, too, would have been found the guest, the stran- 
ger, the friend and relative, enjoying with the family the social 
life and hospitality which has ever characterized our people. 
The latch-string of our first log cabin is said to have hung on 
the outside, and our modern architecture has not been able to 
abolish that custom. 

But above and beyond the matter of increase in population 
there is one thing to which we do point with pride in this con- 
nection: It may not be immodest for us to say that we are 
proud, if not of the number, of the (piality of the men who have 
made the history of our town. 

Our neighbors are accustomed to say of us that they "always 
know a citizen of ^Morgantown on sight." Nor is the distin- 
guishing (piality in the cut of his coat or his peculiar gait. The 
peculiar test or measure of manhood that he has obtained among 
us, may have something to do with it. And probably that test 
is radically different from that which is applied in any other 
part of the State. 

If vou go down to the antipodal part of our State — to Charles- 



27 

ton, the prosent Capital of "West Virginia — they will want to 
know your politics. They will hunt up your political anteced- 
ents until they learn how you have east your votes since you 
reached 3'our majority; how you vote now, and with what ring 
you are supposed to affiliate. They will estimate you entirely 
from a political standpoint. 

Il'you come farther up into the State, to the city of Parkers- 
burg, the^' will want to know who your grandfather was — who 
are 3'our cousins and your uncles and your aunts — and they will 
trace up your entire pedigree. They will estimate you from a 
family standpoint. 

If you come still farther up into the State, to the city of 
Wheeling, they will immediately want to know what is your 
standing in bank ; they will demand to know the exact amount 
for which your check will be honored; they will size your pile. 
They will estimate you from a financial standpoint. 

Now when you have traveled to the other antipodal point of 
the State, to old Morgantown, and have walked from the begin- 
ning to the head of Main street, there will not be a man, woman 
or child along the way who will not already have asked: What 
does he know? What does he stand for as a manV How does 
he round up intellectuall}-, morally, physicallyV 

This is the measure of manhood which :Morgantown has been 
wont to apply to its citizens. And we are proud, to-day, of the 
men who have lived among us and whose names stand as famil- 
iar landmarks all along the line of our history. If there is one 
thing more than another that we desire to honor on this anni- 
versar}' occasion it is the memorj- of these men. 

We are proud of these old family names so familiar to us — 
the ^Morgans, the Jarretts, the Rogerses, the Rays, the ^Nladeras, 
the McLanes, the Evanses, the Hayeses, the Laziers, the Chad- 
wicks, the Hauways, the Lowrys, the Derings, the Gays, the 
Kigers, the Pickenpaughs, the Haganses, the Dorseys, the Wil- 
sons, the Aliens, the Shislers, the Hennens, and many other 
names that have become household words with our people. 

Mr. Willey closed by extending a warm welcome to the citi- 
zens of Monongalia who had come in to join in the festivities of 
the anniversary of their county seat; to the old citizen who had 
left his first love to seek his fortune in other lands, and was now 
back to honor his old hoine; and to the stranger who had 
dropped in to share the lins])itality and make merry witl: the 



28 

[)Coi>k' (if the old town. Throe cheers wore thou given by the 
crowd for tlio Centennial of Morgantown. 

At the close of Mr. Willey's address, the mooting adjourned 
until 1:30 o'clock i'. m., when it was announced that Mr. W. T. 
W. Barbe would deliver a Poem and Hon. W. T. Willoy would 
deliver an Address. 

At 1:30 r. m. the crowd reassembled, at the ringing of the 
court house bell, in even greater numbers than in the morning. 
Court House Square was one great living mass. The Grafton 
band opened up with one of its most successful performances. 
Then the Chairman inti'oducod INIr. AV. T. W. Bar})0, who had 
written for the occasion 

THE CENTENNIAL POEM, 

and had written it well. The sentiment of the promising young 
poet's song touched a responsive chord in the hearts of all Mor- 
gantown and Monongalia people. Its ideas rekindled the old 
love that only Morgantown ])Ooplo are capable of ])earing for 
their n:itive place and their childhood home. It recounts the vir- 
tues of our fore-fathers as they come down through the decades 
of the century just closed. It brings us to realize that ''these 
hearth-stone shrines are worth all the world beside." It is so 
appropriate to the occasion that it will be highly prized by all 
whose fondest recollections cluster around the old familiar 
scenes they love so well. 

SONG OF A CENTURY. 
The highest aim of every Islamite 
Is once to stand upon the holy site 
Of Allah's chosen prophet's biith. and tliore, 
At ^locca's shrine, send up his praise and prayer: 

This done, 
"Whatever winds may blow, high Heaven's won. 
So we, like Moslems good and true of heart, 
Have journeyed forth from every port and part 
To this, our Mecca, dear as Islam's pride. 
And hearthstone shrines worth all the world beside — 
Shrines builded through the restless, shifting years, 
And some are docko<l with flowers and some with tears I 

Here, too, we learn to hew at life's hard wood; 

The chips were small and none could call them good — 

The tree so stubborn stood! 
Here man\- hands have left their lines unhewn. 



29 

The Master Workmnn [)ai(.l tliem oil' too soon, 
Lonnr 'ere the sun of life declared high noon; 
While others, bent witli dealing l)lo\v on l>lo\v. 
Worked on and watehed the ghostly shadows grow 
Athwart the drear and driven winter snow, 
Until the evening bell so soft and low, 
Said they might go; 
Tliat they were paid in purest gold, we know. 
Their rounded lines were pillars, strong as oak. 
Until the mace of Time, with giant stroke 
Sent home the blow- 
That laid them low. 
Then the newei- timbers, wrought in newer style, 
Filled up the void and served their little while, 
And so the town, well pillared old and new. 
Has stood the frosts and all the ill winds through, 
The order's now Composite, quite; and not 
A timber stands to-day of that first lot ! 
A traitor he who says that the}- are forgot! 

But who^hall speak for them who silent lie 

Beneath the blush of this October skvV 

They reck not how we sing to-da}-, nor why. 

In yonder sacred-shrined and shafted grove 

Asleep are those whose hearth-stone name was Love — 

I speak for them I 
Upon these folded hills with gentle sweep 
Is holy dust, for which we weep and weep; 
Know thou, "He giveth His beloved sleep" — 

I SI leak for them! 
In yonder king of lands, the uncrowned West, 
Are some who loved this old town first and best; 
So mute and cold are they in deepest rest — 

I speak for them I 
With sword and cap and gloves upon their 1 tiers 

Were laid to rest brave men in those dread vears 

But hush! the glory theirs and ours the tears — 

I speak for them, 

I speak for them I 

But v^hy .slmuld aught be said for the arm(»red dead? 
And xohy disturb the peace of their narrow bed? 
One 8h<jt of theirs outworthod all that I've said; 



80 

Their songs were writ with swoi'd and seething lead! 

I cannot speak for them! 
"Wliat ean I say for tiie sleepers in the West? 
TliL'ir spirits now, I trow, at Love's behest, 
Are gathere(l here; if not, then let them rest — 

I cannot speak for them ! 
And one short life of all that rest to-day , 
So still hemmed in by cold, unfeeling clay. 
Was nobler far than this ni}' artless lay — 

I cannot speak for them, 

I cannot speak for them ! 
What have we left of those whose strong right hand 
Felled low the leaf-crowned monarchs of the land'? 
Wc peer in vain, with hands above our brow, 
Adown the wa}' witli lumdred mile-stones now. 
Nor catch a gleam of that far-Hashing steel 
Whose edge the great tree hearts were made to feel; 
But just as he, who watches from afar 
The axe-ui:in dealing sturdy strokes that jar 
The very hills, can hear the iinal l)low. 
When he no longer sees the gleam and glow — 
So we, from this high-rising hill of time. 
Look o'er to when these men were in their prime, 
And hear the echo of their blows roll on. 
Though woodman, axe and forest all are gone. 
What guerdon had these men for all their toil? 
For all their wounds, where was the wine and oil? 
The larger world to them was all unknown. 
But know that smaller world was all their oivnf 
The}' drank a richer wine than Moorish king 
E'er quaffed to dark e3'ed maid 'mid wassail ring; 
They drank the breeze that filtered through and through 
The i)oplar boughs, from Heaven's distant blue. 
True men, so brave of heart and strong of hand! 
Made of the sterner stuff, and Heaven's own brand! 
I cannot find their graves, unmarked so long — 

No rtower or stone; 
I onl}- sing a halting, weak-voiced song. 

Backward lilowii. 
With all thy wealth of years and laughing skies 
A city still thou art of lesser size, 



31 

But large enough for hearts as 1)okl and Viravc 

As ever thrust a sword or tilled a gravel 

Hemmed in In" hills and by you Mayward stream, 

A eity only in thy larger dream. 

But \yide enough for lives as pure and strong 

As ever worshiped Right or V)attled Wrong! 

Without the city's sheen and blinding glare, 

Thou still art wondrous fair and debonair. 

And ])right enough for eyes as soft and deej) 

As ever vanquished man or robl)ed his sleep I 

And vast enough, art thou, for sorrow's blight 

To test its length and breadth and depth and height! 

xVnd large enough for many myrtled graves. 

For many dear, thougli sad and ghostlv graves. 

Thou art not even known to those whose eyes 

See nought unless its towers pierce the skies. 

But thou art famed enough for Love and Fear 

And Life and Death to find a pathway here; 

And Sorrow comes this wa}- and drops a tear: 

Peace found thee out. Learning has known thee long, 

And thou hast flirted oft with Art and Song, 

All these are here to-day and shall abide — 

They ne'er depart: 
And still next festal-day they'll crowd thy side 

And fill thy heart! 

How like that wondrous plant of a wondrous clime, 
The Century Plant, that takes its time with Time 
And strikes its roots and lifts its leaves in blind 
Content a hundred years, before the wind 
Has scent of bud or breath of blooming flower, 
Art thou, old town, in this auspicious hour! 
Beside the vagrant river, 
Whose waters, all aquiver, 
Sport dctwu the distant hills, they planted thee — 
The strong and 8tead3'-handed, planted thee; 
And hedged about from storm by these fair hills 
Thy growth was "sure as grinding of God's mills." 

And now at last the flowers burst 
And spread their petals all athirst 
To drink the tears of joy that freely fall, 
While God. wc trust, is bending over all. 



32 

Antl yet, Oh, yet I that woudrous uloe ])looms 
But once and dies; decays like flesh in tom])sI 
The symbol here is lost; I pray, I pray, 
That thou, old town, may'st bloom for aye and aj-e! 

This tell-tale river has whispered to thee 
As it shambled along adown to the sea — 
Has whispered and murmured and sung unto thee, 
As it liickered carelessly on to the sea — 
Of its head-water frolicks and its leaps in the air, 
And the races it run with the mountain sprites there, 
And showed thee the tokens of love that it bore — 
Keepsakes and pledges from the hearts on the shore. 
And thou, in thy turn, has cast on its breast 
Greeting of love to the welcoming West. 
And now old stream, that cut thy channel long 
Before the sachem's shout and twanging thong 
Were heard the lonely mountain side along, 
Speed thee I and this our sacred message bear 
To every list'uing V)ank thy waters wear — 
Above the "Smoky City's" commune wails. 
Into the ear of the spreading "City of Nails," 

Sing out thy song; 
Unto the feet of the haughty "Queen of the West" 

Bear it along. 
Until e'en to the "Crescent" thou hast pressed 
And flung thy charge upon the ebbing tide 
Of the restless sea, so wondrous wild and wide! 
And this thy greeting be: 
Say that (I beg of thee) 
Beside the New Dominion's fairest stream 
A sister town is waking from her dream; 
That, though she's just a hundred j-ears to-day. 
Her heart's as young as the winsome heart of 3Iay, 
Her feet keep time to the merriest rouudela}'. 
And her tresses wear no streak ings of the gray. 
Say, too, that from the South there beams a main 
The bow of promise, long years sought in vain — 
An iron bow, as in tales of old 
That round the Yule-log oft and oft were told. 
We hope to find some day the pot of gold 
That at the hither foot is alwavs rolled — 



33 ,_ 

Sdiiu' iioasurc-trove iilxue the (lolden Fleece 
'I'liat Jason l>()iv fmin ('olcliis untf) Tlreeeel 

And thou, old A hurt Mater, dear to me. 
One boon, one sin2:le boon, I ask of tliee; 
The lar<i"er years are whcclinir into place, 
When all the nations stand as face to face, 
And <;reat is lie who wins a single race I 
Raise up some seer, some prophet poet soul, 
Before another hundred years shall roll 

In mist awaN' — 
Some master mind full ripe to honor thee 
In the Century Song of the City that's to be 
In the coming day ! 

At the close of r^Ir. Barbe's poem S. Z. T. Martin's singing 
class, composed of the following vocalists, rendered in good style 
the song, "Freedom's Banner," viz: Misses Lottie and Mary 
Dunnaway, Lavara Bixler, Cora and Alice Martin, and Messrs. 
Jos. W. Bixler, Clark Price, TV. Z. T. and J. Lee Martin. 

Then came the Historial Address l>y p]x-Senator "W'aitman T. 
Willey. 

It was, as every one knew it would be, worthy of the orator 
and the occasion. Unassuming and without flash or flourish 
the venerable ex-Senator epitomized the history of the town and 
held the attention of his hearers although the}- had to stand in 
the chilling rain during nearly half of the address. He closed 
with a high and worthy tribute to the excejttional educational 
advantages and standing of the town. It was indeed an orator- 
ical feast. Below is the address in full. 

HISTORICAL ADDRESS. 

It has been made my duty, on the present occasion, to present 
a sketch of the history of Morgantowu. But so many of the 
proper 8u])Jects of that history have Iteen assigned to others, 
that little remains for me to consider. \ very brief an<l general 
outline. thereff)re is all I have to ((O'er. 

The first white men who ever trod the soil on whii-h <>ui' \ il- 
lage stands were Thomas Decker and a few associates, who came 
here with him, in 1758. He "i)itched his camp," it is believed, 
on the bank of the river, just above the moutii of the creek, which, 
thenceforth, was to bear the name of thi.'^ adventurous pioneer. 
The tragic result of this first ellort to establish a civili/.ed linu)e 



' 34 

in tin- uppc-r valley of the Monongahehi, is familiar to all who 
nre conversant will, the auual.s of Indian '.varfarc. Decker an.l 
all his companions, exeeptiu- one. were killed l.y the Indians in 
the spring of 17oy. 

The next adventurer was David Mor-an. He came here in 
1 h;8, nine years after the massacre of Decker. 'J'Iumc- is n<. evi- 
dence how Ion- he remained. The tradition is prohal.lv correct 
that he went still hi-her up the river; for we lind that on the 
iJfJth of December. lOSl. there was surveyed for David Mor-an 
assionee of John Masterson, 361 acres of land, at the mouth of 
the West Fork, indudin- said Masterson's settlement made 
thereon in 1774. The tradition, that Zackquill Morgan the 
onoinal proprietor of the site of Morgantown, came here with 
the said David in 176S, or soon afterwards, is also probably true 
It appears from the surveyor's books of Monongalia countv 
that on the 2«>th day of April, 1781, there was -surveyed for 
Znckqudl Morgan, assignee of Isaac Lemasters, 220 acres of 
land in Monongalia county, on Decker's creek and the Monon- 
gahela river, including his settlement made thereon in 1772.' 'As 
these 220 acres included the site where Morgantown now stands, 
it may be interesting to state the l)oundaries of the whole tract 
They are as follows: -Beginning at a Black oak corner to 
Michael earns and James Cochran, and running thence alono- 
Cochran's line N. 80 W. 56 poles to a large l)lack oak by a patl^ 
8. 35 W. 68 poles to a black oak near said path: .»< 6!) W 84 
poles to a black oak: S. 80 W. 48 poles to a .Spanish oak and 
sugar tree on the river bank; thence crossing the river, S. 57^ W 
164 poles to a W. O.; 8. 2 W. 82 poles to a hickory 'and sassa- 
fras; 8. 52 E. 26 poles to two elms on the river; thence down it 
X. 3U E. 136 i)oles; 8. 83 E. crossing the river to a large syca- 
more on the bank of the river, on the lower side of the mouth of 
Decker's creek; thence up the same 174 poles to the mouth of a 
l)ranch falling down a steep rock on the northeast side of the 
creek, l)elow the said Cams' new mill house, and corner to 
Michael Cams, and running thence with his lines N. 18 E. 16 
poles to a W, O. on a point; 8. 95 E. 30 poles to a W. O. ; N. 32 
E. 170 poles to a l)lack oak on the south side of a hill, the be- 
ginning." Thus it seems that Isaac Lemasters settled on the 
site of Morgantown in 1772, four years prior to the Declaration 
of Independence hy the United 8tates. That Zackquill Morgan 
was here before the date of his survey aforesaid, is certain :*for 



:15 

it apid'ars from the ixxords of tlie commissioners for adjusting 
claims to unpatented lands that he was before them on the 4th 
day of May 1780: and their certificate of that date, recites the 
ftict that he was then the assignee of Lemasters. How long he 
had been an assignee, does not apjjcar — probal)ly several years. 
Nor is it at all improbable, that by virtue of this assignment, he 
came into tiie actual possession of the premises shortly after 
1772, and, thenceforth, continued in the occupancy thereof. 
For Miciiael Cams (Kei-ns) who made his settlement on contig- 
uous lands in 1772, and who had never left them, and had built 
a mill thereon, and made other improvements, never procured a 
survey of his lands, until the 27th day of April. 1781. The fact 
is, these surveys were made at the same time, the boundaries of 
each calling for the boundaries of the other. Why were surveys 
not sooner made? The answer is obvious. The war of the Rev- 
olution was raging. Tlu- public affairs were in disorder. These, 
and other similar claimants had to wait the enactment of the 
necessary laws, and the api)ointment and i)resence of proper of- 
ficers and agents to adjust and i)erfect the titles. 

In May 17815 an act of the Legislature of \'irginia was passed, 
authorizing the justices of Monongalia county to h<ild the courts 
of said county, at the house of Zack(iuill Morgan. This act does 
not state where this house was — whether in the foregoing, or 
some otlier trad of land. The surveyor's books show that on 
the 2'.)th day of April, 1781, (the same date of Morgan's survey), 
there was .-;uiveyed for James Cochran, assignee of Zackipiill 
Morgan, assignee of James Stockwell, 151 acres of land on the 
Monongahela river, immediately below and adjoining said Mor- 
gan's, Decker's creek tract, and bounded by it. all around on the 
north of it to the lands of Michael Cams (Kerns). It is possi- 
ble, but not very probable, that '"the house of Zack(iuill Morgan 
was on this land. It is reasonably certain, however, that it 
stood somewhere within the present boundaries of the' borough 
of Mf)rgantown. This original "county seat" was (»f humble 
dimensions; but its jurisdiction was wide enough; for 3I(tnon- 
galia county then embraced fully one-fifth of the entire territory 
of West Virginia. 

And now we come to the Centennial act of the Legislature of 
West Virginia, establishing Morgan's Town. It was passed in 
October 1785; but on what day of the month has not been ascer- 
tained. This act vested fiftv acres of buid the pn>iHTty of 



30 

Z;ick(jiiill Morgan, lyiiit: in Mononatiliji county, without bounda- 
ries, or other desir^nation of loc-alitv, in Sanu'.el Ilanway, John 
Evans, David Scott, Michael Kerns and .lames Dougherty trus- 
tees. I shall not detain you with a recital of its various pro- 
visions. One of them, however, may lie jnentioned, as showing 
the ideas of village architecture prevailing lOOyears ago. Each 
purchaser of a lot was required to erect upon it, within four 
years, a house, at least 18 feet square, with a stone or lirick 
chimney. But it seems that the lot holders were not able to 
build even such houses as these within the time prescribed; for, 
in IT'^S, the time was extended three years, in consequence of 
"Indian hostilities," and again in 1792, "from the ditticulty of 
pi'ocu ling material." We have the authority of the late J. W. 
Thompson, that as late as 17!)0, there were only four houses 
built in Morgantown. 

If the art of photograi)hy had been then discovered, and Mor- 
gantown, as it then was, had been imaged by the unerring sun- 
beams, what an interesting picture we should have. We may 
not Ite able to say, exactly, how it Mould apj)ear; but we may 
pretty well imagine its ai)pcarancc. We should see less than 
half a dozen of log cabins. We should see a narrow zig-zag 
road or path })assing through it, nortli and south, with lateral 
connections, crossing the river to the West, and leading up 
Decker's creek to the p]ast, — no streets, no alleys, the unfell- 
ed trees still standing around the borders, and the stumps of 
trees yet remaining in the fields and gardens: the hills, all 
arounil, fovcrc(l with forests almost unbroki-n; the startled 
wild <\(.'cr, on the distant height, jtecring through the brushwood, 
down upon these new intruders upon its ancient heritage. And 
then, there were, what no art can transfer to card or canvass, the 
nightly howl of the wolf, and the occasional scream of the 
l)anther echoing through the surrounding valleys; and, some- 
times, the Tresh foot prints of the Western savage, arresting the 
hunter in his chase, and sending him home to give the alarm. 

And the court day of that period — who shall describe it? 
Wrtliin 75 feet of where I am now standing, in a small frame 
building, erected soon after 1785, the justices composing the 
court, were w(uil to assemble. Little, I imagine, did they bother 
themselves with the learning in ( "oke upon Littleton, or the 
subtleties of Fearne on Contingent Ivcmainders and Executory 
Devises, or Hale's Pleas of the Crown. Without pica or preced- 
ent, they sought the ends of justice I'V the simpk' proc-Ci-.s of 



37 

c<nnnion sense; :in»l I am not suii' thcv wcic not as siitcesst'iil in 
tindiu;^ them, as some more ehiboiiite trihunals. makin'r liiglier 
pretensions. It is to l»e regretted that the record of their pro- 
ceedings was destroyed I)y lire in ITDO. And yonder, over the 
hills, and down the streams, l>y every winding pathway, came 
the hardy jiioneers, from stocked forts, and widely se})arated 
cabins, clad in homespnn hunting shirts, short breeches and leg- 
gings, tanned deer-skin moccasins, and fox-skin caps — some on 
horseback, more on foot. — generally carrying with them the 
trusted rilled-gun with tiint lock, which they seldom left behind 
them, whether they were coming to court, in the camp, or in the 
cornfield — with faces bronzed by constant exposure to storm and 
sunshine — stalwart sinewy men — of indomitable courage and pa- 
tient of toil and struggles — uncorrupted by the luxuries of 
wealth — uncontaminated by the vices of courtiers or cabinets — 
if somewhat rude in manners, and uncultured, yet breathing the 
very si)irit of freedom and personal independence — the van- 
guard of American civilization heralding the march of "Emi)ire," 
as it "westward takes its way." 

Safe as we now are, in our comfortaltle homes, suiijtlied with 
all the absolute necessaries of life, and possessed of the multi- 
plied blessings, which the progress of the 16th century has 
brought in such }>rofusion to our doors, the present generation 
can liardly a{)preciate the privations and i)erils encountered and 
conquered b}- those heroic pioneers, to provide for us the rich in- 
heritance of peace, plenty- and security which we now enjoy. I 
have in n^y possession extracts from manuscript letters, written 
])y one who helped to raise corn in a field where we are now 
assembled, 102 years ago. They contain a graphic description 
of the scenes and sorrows common in those early days. They 
are too long to read now. T will api>end them to my address and 
you can peruse them at your leisure. They must greatly en- 
hance your sense of obligation to the father who subdued the 
wilderness once covering those hills and valleys, (See note a.) 

It is an erroneous, if not impi(/us, imi)ression prevailing 
among some persons, that these pioneers were wholly uncivilized, 
and little better than the savages, whom they supplanted. 
Among them came men of considerable culture and refinement. 
Besides, they all had that jjractical education which is derived 
from actual contact with society, and insinred and developed by 
active participation in the allairs of life, and by the pressure of 



38 

surroiindin_2' dangers and dillk-ultics. the necessities of their eon- 
dition. Nor wei-e they without the ordinanees of the ('hi-istian 
reliirion. or the prescnee of a Christian ministry. Bisliop As- 
hiiry. of the Methodist Ei)iseopal Chureh, was in Morgantown in 
July 1785, preaching and l)aptising. He was here. also, in 1786: 
and again in 1788, when he was assisted in his ministrations hy 
a Presbyterian elergyman. 

I must pass rapidly over tiu' suliseciuent municipal history of 
the town. It may be found in our statute books. It must suf- 
fice to say, that in 1810, the trustees of the town were made 
elective by the freeholders. Subsequent legislation in 1816 and 
1822 vested the power in the trustees to levy taxes for certain 
purposes and within certain limitations. In 1824 the trustees 
procured a survey and plats to be made of lots, streets, alleys, 
public buildings, and had the same entered of record in the 
clerk's office of the conuty. In 1838 the number of trustees was 
increased to seven, with increased powers and jurisdiction. In 
1860 "The Borough of Morgantown"" was incorporated, and the 
l)oundai-ies defined by law. In 1885 these were enlai'ged l>y the 
voters at an election held for the purpose. 

Situated aw.ny from any lending thoroughfare of trade fir 
travel, the growth of Morgautown in population and industrial 
enterprises has been slow. Since the completicm of tiie Balti- 
more & Ohio Railroad to Wheeling, it has been stationarv. 
Prior to 1860. we have no record of its population. By the cen- 
sus of that yeai- the number of its inhabitants was 749; in 1870, 
787; in 1880. 745. In later years the tendency has been to pur- 
chase and l)uild ujjon lots in the suburbs. And so the census 
of ISSO shows the number of inhabitants in these suburbs to be 
as follows: In Durbanuah, 127; in Hoffman's addition, 86; in 
Sallytf)wn, 67; and in "West INIorgantown, 86; making witli the 
inlialiitauts in the actual limits of the borough, a total poi>ula- 
tion of 1076. 

Nothing is more creditable to our little town than its educa- 
tional history. It has long l)een noted for its excellent schools. 
Its interest and efforts in the i)romotion of education commenced 
nearly with its origin and have continued and augmented ever 
since. Tiic limitations of the hour will not permit more than a 
chronological catalogue of its various educational enterprises. 

An academy was incorporated here in 1814 by the name of 
'•Tlu' Monongalia AcaiU-mv." It was built on the site of the 



39 
residence now owned and occupied by Thomas R. Evans. 

In 1828, the grounds now belonging to our present excellent 
free school were purchased by the academy, and a new l)uildiug 
erected thereon, which was afterward enlarged by it to its pres- 
ent dimeutions. Tlienceforth it grew in usefulness and reputa- 
tion until at last under the ellicient administrations of the late 
Rev. J. R. Moore it rose to a rank surpassed by few institutions 
of a similar grade, attracting to its halls pupils from more than 
a dozen States. 

In 1831, a female seminary was i)rojected; and with the aid 
and co-operation of the Monongalia Academy, a lot was jjurchas- 
ed and a small building erected where Henry S. Ha^-es, p]sq., 
lives. . To this building a dwelling for the principal of the in- 
stitution with increased school accomodations, was subsequently 
added. In 1849, this school was incorporated by the name of 
''The ]Morgantown Female Collegiate Institute.'' In ]8o2 its 
property was sold and a new and more eligil)le site selected at 
the corner of High and Foundry streets on which a new building- 
was erected, which was subsequently greatly enlarged; and in 
1869 the whole of this property was sold to 31 rs. JNIoore, tlie 
present i)r()priet<)r who lias ever since maintained there a school 
of the highest character. 

In 1858 '"Woodburn Seminary," was incorporated, the corpor- 
ators having the elegant residence and beautiful grounds of the 
late Thomas P. Ray for the use of the seminary. Large addi- 
tions were made to the original building; and a flourishing 
school was established under the superintendency and control 
of Mr. Moore, the former distinguished principal of the "Monon- 
galia Academy." After his death, this fine property, in 1860, 
was purchased l)y the trustees of the •"Monongalia Acadeni}'," 
and togetlier with all its otlier property. l)oth real and personal, 
freely transferred to the State of West Virginia to constitute 
the foundation of the West ^'irginia Agricultural College, organ- 
ized in 1867, which, by appropriate legislation, has since V)econie 
the West Virginia University — the educational centei- of the 
State. The schof)l buildings and grounds of the "Monongalia 
Academy" were purchased by the Board of Education of Mor- 
gantown Independent school district for the use of its free school, 
than which, outside of Wheeling, there is none superior in tlie 
State. 

Thus oui' nude schools have passed out of our local manao'c- 



40 

luont and (iii'ection. int^) the c-ftntml of llu- State. Slumld our 
interest in them, therefore, relax? By no means. Let them 
still have the hearty sympathy and cordial support of the town 
and the county. These being given without stint or reservation, 
and. the enlightened and liberal patr(mage of the State still ex- 
tended to them, we may reasonably hope that our second Cen- 
tennial shall lind the surrounding picturesque localities of our 
young University crowned with many more imposing academic 
edifices, whose halls shall be filled with hundreds of the youth 
of this and the surrounding States, without distinction of race, 
sex or previous condition. 

It is the deeds and character of men which make the history 
of towns, as w^ell as States. And so, the poet has inquired and 
answered: 

What constitutes a state? 
Not high raised battlements, labored mound. 

Thick wall or moated gate; 
Not cities proud, with spires and turrets crowned; 

Not ba3^s and broad armed ports, 
Where, laughing at the storm, rich navies ride; 

Not starred and spangled courts. 
Where low-browed baseness wafts ])erfume to i)ride. 

No: — men, high minded men. 
With powers as far above dull brutes, endued. 

In forest, brake or den 
As beasts exceed cold rock and Ijrambles rude; 

Men who their duties know. 
But know their rights, and knov/ingdare maintain. 

Prevent the long aimed blow. 
And crusli the tyrant, wliiii' they rend the chain — 
These constitute a state, 
^lorgantown has furnished a creditable quota to the ranks of 
men not witluMit Iiigh reputation in chuiTh and State and in 
the fields of science; and if that duty had not been imposed on 
others, it would have been to me a grateful task to enumerate 
its sons and daughters, who have distinguished tliemselves less 
or more in the various departments of life. 

And now we come to stand on the line dividing two centuries. 
We have presented a rapid and imperfect retrospect of the past 
100 years. Who shall forecast the results of the 100 years to 
come? Our progress as a town, has not been remarkable; yet 
what a contrast there is between our conditions in 1785 and 



11 

188o! And we sluill 1)e jndi^ed l)y the scTiptui-:d rule, that our 
responsibilities are to he nieMsured by our oj)portunities, the 
present :iiid i-dniiuii' jicncrntions Ikivc nceil to lu-stir themselves. 
In 1785 Morgantown was nearly on the line inarkin<r the west- 
ern boundary of the inhabited portion of the I'nitcd States. 
Now it is huudrt'ds ol" miles east of tin; et-ntcr <>f p()i)ulation. 
Thf vision of the poet has been realized: 
I see tiie living tide roll on. 
It erowns with fiery towers 

The ley eapes of Lalirador, 
The Spaniard's "Land of flowers." 

It streams beyond the splintered ridge 
That parts the northern showers 

From eastern rock to sunsft \v:ive, 
The continent is ours. 
Then the total number of inhabitants in the United States 
did not exceed three millions; now it is 55 millions. Then we 
Were just emerging from the wreck and desolation of the long 
and bloody "War of Independence," thirteen isolated and im- 
poverished States having hardly tV)und a place on the map of 
nations; now we are recognized among the first powers of the 
world. Then our expeiiment of popular government was a 
problem; now it is demonstrated fact; and the piinciples of 
civil and religious liberty, enunciated by our fathers, have mod- 
ified and ameliorated, in no small degi'ee, the social and polit- 
ical condition of the human ra'ce. Then the prodigious forces of 
steam were still hidchm among the set'i'ct treasures of naturi'; 
now the slow and toilsonu processes of handicraft in a thous 
and departments of human industry have been superseded by 
the swift and resistless enginery of this mighty factoi' of nie- 
chanical ju'oduction: the tardy voyages of the sailing vessel 
struggling for months against wind and tide, have lieen dis- 
placed by the rapid transit of the ocean steamer pk)wing its 
course through wave and tcmj)est, from London to New York, 
in 8 or 10 days. Then theie was not a mile of railroad in the 
world; now there are more than one hundred thousand miles in 
the L'^nited States. Now, measuring distance by the time taken 
to travel over it we are nearer Eiirope than we were then to 
Kichmond, the capital of the State. Then a newsi)aper in tlie 
family was a fact of rare occurrence, and the news it furnished, 
whuthei- domestic or foreign, was several months old before it 



\-2 

i-i'iirlu'd till' I'l'atU'r: now \w icinl in \\\v niarnin.u' i)ii|iors a svii- 
(»l)sis of till' principal events liapin-ninji- the day leloie, not only 
on this eontincnl. Itut all over Euroiie and in large i arts of Asia 
and Africa. Then there were few .sehools anywhere, and none ft 
all in Moruantown; now we have at onr doors every laeility of 
ediK-ation, fiMni the primary department of the freesehool to the 
last and highest degree in the liiiv ersily. I will not IV.rther 
l)nrsne the contrast. Time wonld fail ns to connt all the sn- 
perior advantages which the sciences, arts, literatnre and civili- 
zation of the last 100 years have bestowed upon ilic present <ien- 
eration. 

I nnist still fnrthei' pause, however, to note the fact that in a 
few short months we shall feel the t!)rol)l)ings of one of th.ose 
freat arteries of internal commnnication which have ilrine so 
mnch to develop tlie resonrees of all countries where they exist. 
The long wished for railroad is at our doors. We welcome its 
advent. And yet, to us, there comes with it some regrets. The 
venerable homogeneity of onr society will lie l)ro]<en. Our old 
time hospitality and our earliest family-like social lelations will 
ho marred, lleretefore, in consequence of onr isolated situation, 
entting us off from easy intercourse with the wide world around 
us, we have been somewhat in the condition of the ship's com- 
pany crossing the seas' We have been compelled into closer 
personal relations, begetting iVinidshii s all the mon- intense, 
because thus limited and concentrated. Hut with the railroad 
the stranger will intrude ui)on ns and the inllux of new outsidi- 
iulluences, social, moral and material, will less or moiv modify 
the existing conditions of society. Among these we may hope 
to see established in our midst new industries and an increase 
of enterprise in all of our pursuits. Hut we may as well disa- 
buse oursi'lves at once of the delusion jmssessing some of us 
that a railroad is all we want. We shall want tin- energy and 
enti'ri)rise to make a\ailalili' the opportunities wliicli it will af- 
ford. To the farming interests of any count ly t liroiigh which 
tlu'v |iass. raili'oads must .always l>e heiiefu'ial ; hut. to inlaiul 
towns like ours, they are of little value excepting the conven- 
iences ol" intiress and egress, unless e;ipital can be attracted liy 
them antl invested in iirofitatilc industries. This is what makes 
inland towns pi-ospei(Mis: they cannot jtrospei' w it liout it. In 
this respect I believe .Morgantown to be most favorably- sitn- 
atetl. At the head of slackwater navigation, with a well eipiip- 



4n 

])e(l railway p'.issinn' tliroiinh it. ur.ikiii^; dirt'i-t and ('af<y cMinnm- 
nii-atiou witli two of tlio grciti'st liiiL's of trade an<l travel in the 
I'liited States, and located in the eenter of one of the richest 
mineral ilistriets in the whole coiinti'v. it oiia'ht to |>ros|ier. 

And now, fellow (.-itizens with nothiiii^' to regret in tlie retro- 
spect of the past, with inucdi to be orateful for in the enjoyment 
of the present and with better hopL-s for the I'litui'e, let our motto 
1)e "Excelsioi-."' 

Note a. — [Extracts from a letter written liy William Ilav- 
mond. of Palatine, to T^uthei- Ilaymond, ftf ( "larkshuro, on the 
18th of Febrnary, 184:>:] 

"I was born near Roekville. Montg'omery eounty, IMai'vland, 
in 1771. 

"In the year 1773 my father moved to this county. It is 
strongly impressed on my mind that we stopped in the Forks of 
Cheat river at or near Rojjers' Fort. 

'•The next I recollect our famil}' was living in the ^Mtmonga- 
hela glades near Decker's creek. As soon as the war broke out 
\\c had to leave the place and the w hole family went to Kearn's 
Fort opposite where Morgantown now stands. My fiithor then 
had eight negroes. We planted and raised corn on the ground 
where Morgantown now stands. 

"This was a Stockaded Fort. At one time I think there was 
a company of soldiers there. While living there Coburn's Fort 
about two miles this side of Keavn's Fort was burnt by the In- 
dians. I was at it when on fire. IIow it ha[)pene(l that I 
was suffered to go I cannot tell. 

"Miller and Woodfin were killed on Miller's i)lace three }niles 
from Kearn's Fort while we were there. They were brought 
into the Fort on poles having their feet and hands tied and the 
pole running between them. I remember this i)erfectly. 

"Wiiile living in Kearn's Fort we had the small pox in the nat- 
ui-al way — all the family except my father, who h.ul had it. 
Two (diildren I think were all that died then with that disease, 
however, my father lost either six or seven of his negroes there. 
It was said they were i)oisoned. 

"While living in this Fort we boys would go out on wh;it was 
called the Hogback near the Fort to hunt ramps. We used the 
bow and arrow and were very good in shooting them. 

"Once whil(> st.anding in the yai'd some one shot up an arrow- 
straight: it fell and struck through the wrist of either Colonel 



44 

John KvMliS nr olio of the Wilsons: it \v:iS hard to draw out. 
This is all tlu* arci'U'Ut I rceolk-rt hajpin'iiiusi- whiU- \vt- lived in 
tlK' Fort. 

"Wt" moved rionitlic Fort, what time leaiiiiot say. went ahont 
twoor three miles below town on the land of John .Johnson, and for 
a time on the land of William Joseph. While living ont on 
these farms*, we were often called up in the night and moved ott' 
a mile oi" two to some house for safety. 

"During what was called the hard winter, the snow wa.s veiy 
dei'p. we lived in a large old house on Jolinson's land — it liad two 
doors. I remenil>er we would draw logs in the house with our 
horse "Prince" and roll them hack on the lire. We had a num- 
her of deer skins hung r.round the house to keep the wind otf. 

"In those days we wore short hieeches and leggings, what 

else I do not recollect. How we lived I have only an indistinct 

recollection. I reinemker once when luother John and myself 

went to Kulile's 3Iills in I'ennsylvania. Some one there gave 

us each a piece of light luead spread with butter. This I 

tliought such a great feast that I Iiave it in my mind to this 

day. 

•■While we wei-e living on Joseph's land the Indians killed 

Madison the Survi-yor of all this county. Hanway was then ap- 

l)ointed. 

"While living here Albeit (lallatin and Savoy were at my 
father's to see something about land. 

"The Surveyor's office was keiit at A. .M. Pierpoint's aliout 
two miles from wliere we li\cd. 

•While we were living on Jose])h's land David Morgan killed 
the two Indians. They sent my father a piece of tanned Indian 
skin for n straj). 

"I was with my father at the rope works making cords to 
make a hojipose. lie was preparing to go into the Revolution- 
arv armv ami had got ready, when lunvs came that peace was 
made. 

"Thev had a uri-at rejoicing meeting on tlu- occasion at 3Ior- 
gantown. 

"Ilan-ison county was formed out of Monongalia in 17M. ."My 
father was appointed surveyor. 

"Thomas Laidley and McXeely had bi'ought a stove to Mor- 
gan town. 

"Mv father Ix.ught a bear-skin coat, as he had to go to Wil- 
liamsl)uri!h to be exaiiiine«l. Thi- morning befoi-e he started. 



4.') 

Laullov, anil iNU'iu-s, liis stori'krcper, i-anie to our hoii.se with. 1 
believe, 2<> lialf-Joi's, in all $20(» in <>()ld, to send to Kiehnioiid to 
Itny land warrants. I renienil)er hearing luy lather say he was 
afraid to weai" said eoat for fear i)eople would think he was 

jiroud. 

'In thi' fall of 1784 the entire family moved to Clarksburg." 

XnTi; B. — Both to show that our fathers were not heathenish 
ami to eontrast our present religious advantages with the ditli- 
enlties and privations whieh surrounded them nearly a century 
ago, here is an extract or two IVom the letters of a Methodist 
itin-.'rant i)reac!ier. Rev. Henry Smith, who '^rode the circuit" 
eml tracing Moj-gantown, in the year 1793. 

"I met my iiist appointment at Josei)h Bennett's, about 15 
miles above Clarksburg, on the fourth Sunday- in Juno. The 
peoi»le came to tiiis meeting from four to live miles around: for 
wc hail a good si^ciety here, and among them Joseph Chiveiont. 
quite a respectable local {)reacher. They were all backwoocLs 
people, and came to meeting in backwood, style — all on foot; a 
considerable congregation. I looked around and saw one old 
man who had shoes on his feet. The preacher (Chiveront) 
woie Indian moccasins: every man, woman and child Ix-sides, 
were barefooted. The old wonn'u had r>n wliat we then called 
short gowns; and the rest had neither short nor long gowns. 
'I'his was a novel sight to me for a Sunday congregation, 
* * * * * * * Idid my best and soon 
found if there were no shoes and line dresses in the congrega- 
tion, there were attentive hearers and feeling hearts, for the 
melting power of the Lord came doAvn upon u.s, and we felt the 
great Head of the church was in the midst of us." 

On the Christmas following the preacher was at Morgantown: 
and of this occasion he writes: 

"On Christmas morning we had a meeting at live o"cloek in a 
private house, and we had a full iiouse. The novelty of the 
thing brought out some of the most resi)ectable people of the 
town, and we had a very solemn and interesting meeting. We 
pleached in the court house at II o'clock; for we had no meet- 
ing house, neither was there any place of worship in the town, 
Wr had l»ut one half finished log meeting house in the whole cii- 
c\iit. We labored iiard and sutfered not a little, and crossed deeji 
waters, having the Monongahela to cross seven times everv 
round, and few ferries. * * * * ^* * * 

Our lodgings were often uncomfortable. I was inviti-d to liavi' 



4fi 

!Ui ;i|)|iniiitmi'iil :tl a ln'ot ht'i's hniist' (»!K' night. After tlio pcMV 
pie were gone I found that there was Imt one small lied in tli*^ 
house. When l»ed time came the good woman took her l»ed and 
sj)read it erosaways before a fine log fire, and I was requested to 
lie down on one end; and it answered wvy well for me. the man 
and hi.s wife and two ehildren." 

A few minutes before .Air. Willey closed his remarks, the rain 
came pattering down, and umlirellas were hoisted. The crowd 
began to waver a little, but he hurried through his oration, 
which concludcvd the afternoon's exercises. 

Hon. K. (i. Hrooke, who w'as an attentivi- listener t»n the 
platform. pr()[)osed three cheers at the close, which were given 
with a hearty good will. 

The continued rain seemed to dampen the ardor of some, and 
the streets were soon filled with wagons and horses — taking home 
the great throng of people who lived near town. 

Tiie bauds continued to enliven the occasion t>v rcmlciiug 
some clioici- music on' the streets. 

Kain continued, at intervals, all the evening. The bands 
sought shelter under awnings, and gave choice music, while men. 
women and children paraded the streets under umbrellas. 

The beautiful decorations throughout the town wei'e marred 
almost beyond recognition by the rain. ( 'hinese lanterns wilted 
and fell to the pavements with the traditional "dull thud;" flags 
hung drearily from windows and housetops, and even the ever 
greens put on a sad look. 

Had the night been favoraiile, there w<»uld have l)een a beauti 
ful illumination on all tlic priiici[)al streets, as our jieople had 
prepared for a fine dis]»lay. 

Red and l»lue fire was Imriu'd. at inter\'als, in front of King's 
Clothing House; at E. C. Lazii'r's residence; in front of Chad- 
wick's stoi'c: at S. Grove Chadwick's and near C. W. John's 
store, wliicli Iiclpcij to keep the jicoplc in good litimoi'. 

Penally, at aliout 8 o'clock, a l)cautiful disjday of fire-works 
took place in the Publie S(iuare. It was a matter <»f deep regret 
that our friends from the country could not stay to witness the 
exhibition. But the cold rain drove hundreds home who had 
intended to remain, until a later houi- in order to Mitness the 
pyrotechnic display. 

Kockets, squibs. Roman laudU-s and souu' licautifiil "set 
[)l(!ces," representing patriotic scent.':^, were given in the Public 



Square. ii\v\ tliosi- wlm wit lu-ssfil tin- <lis[>l:iy wiTO wi'll plcasfnl. 

Tlifre uevor was a inoi'c hoIht or sodatc crowd of the same 
mnnlter of people hrouglit toLcellier. Thnuiirliont tlio day it was 
universally remarked that not an example of drunkenness was 
to he seen on the stri'ets. After night there were a very few in- 
stauees in whieh young men a|)peaied under the inllui-nee of in- 
toxicants. The plea of the ladies of Morgantown for a celebra- 
tion without the use of intoxicating litiuors was resi)ected. 
Moreover, there v.'as not a light, or a broil, or any disorder to 
mar the good-fellowship of the occasion. If there was any crit- 
icism upon the conduct of the crowd, it would lie that tiuMc was 
even less hilaiity than was to l)e expected fr«m so large a crowd 
on such an occasion. I'rohaltly the weather had something to 
do with it, and ])rol»:ilily it was that still-water kind of senti- 
ment that runs deep. There was a cordial geniality that jier- 
vaded the atmosphere — even if the clouds wen- wet — that ran 
through the entire concourse of friends and accpiaintances. 
Hand-shaking and recounting old icminiscences were the ordei' 
of the day. 

At a late hour at night the people (piietly dispersed, and .Mor- 
gantown's ( "entennial Day was over. 

The following notes and comments are from tlu' local jiapers: 

It is impossible to give the names of the hundicds of <ild 
Monongalians who were present on the '2'i)th to participate in the 
festivities and renew old acquaintances. The crowd was too 
great to lind out the names of scores of "old veterans"" who wci-e 
here. 

It was a matter of great pleasure, however, to see on tlu' jilat- 
form such old pioneers as Zackwell Moi-gan. who now lives in 
Pittslturg — among the last suiviving members of the old Mor- 
gan family. lie is hale and liearty at 72, and bids fair to live 
several years yet. The town bears the name of his giaudfat her, 
who settled here over one hundred vears ago. 

lion. K. (J. Brooke, who had l)een absent for a third of a cen- 
tury, and wh(» came from his home in lar-otf Montana — :{.<»()0 
miles away — was cordially greeted, as was Mr. M(U-gan. b\ ;i 
host of old friends; and scores of people, who h;id heai'd of them 
but had never seen them, crowded about jiml heai-tiJv shook 
their haiuls. 

lirice Powers, with his friend and neighboi- .Michael Smell, of 
Muucie, Indiana, came all the v,:\y from the '•Jloosier State"" i<, 



PTOct old friemls — the foniKT who hml liccn altsent from his ohl 
hctnu' in ^Ionoiii;ali:i for (»2 years, and the hitter for half a i-en- 
tiirv. They received (jiiite an ovation. 

Then there was Ilnny Howell, a lin»tht'r <»f ■Sciuire John 
riowell, of this eounty. who left lure 'JO years aiio. and is now 
located in Kansas. 

Bnsh W. Scott, a schoolmate of our e.irly da\:^ at ohl ^lonon- 
;;alia Academy, (now a resident of Anderson, Indiana.) was also 
iiere and was warndy welcojned by his many friends. 

r>iil. wc cannot fiirtiier cninneratc for want of space. Sutlic- 
it to say that one and all were received with open arms, and a 
perfect "love feast" reiLcned throii<rhout the entire day. 

Aiuonu- others who were so cordially received by their old 
IVicnds in town Thni-sday were Frank M. Chalfant. f)f Weston — 
a '".Mononiialia bf)y to tiie manor born." and as true as steel in 
his love for his old mother county: unch' John ( 'arucy, of Fair 
mont — another "true Virginian," who always has a warm spot 
in his heart for anytliinii" an<l everythiuji- in old Mononpdia: 
Amos S. Bowll)y, of L'niontown. l*a.; Dr. and K. B. Foirle. of 
Preston county; Thornton Hurry, of Elizabeth, Pa., an "old sol 
dier" of early days who dearly loves the old scenes of his child- 
iiood; and st'ores of others who failed to call at our office and 
pay tlieir respects — con9e(|uently. it is imi)ossilde to remember 
I heir names. 

But we must not fail to mention Jo.seph H. Powell, the oldest 
printer in the State, and a man who has given much of jiis time 
( in prose and poetry.) in portraying the riches and greatness of 
West \'ii-ginia. 

The election ol" ( 'oi. .I.iuu's Kvans ( "ii.iiiiii:i!i. \\;isau honor 
\Toi'thily conTci-i-cd. 

Visiting delegations tVom the West Sidt- a[>prcciated llu- "no 
toll" arrangement. 

There were lu-vei' as m:iuy people in .Moraantown at o!ie time 
bcf(»re in all its history. 

The ITniversity and the public sciiools suspended operation.'^ on 
accfuint of the great day. 

A iiundred guns were lii'ed by the I'nivt'rsity aitillery — lifty 
in the morning and fifty in the evening. 

The <"ity Fathers looked the very embodiuu'Ut of dignity and 
wisdou). 

Ell Shisler, Esij,., deserves great cri.-dit for tin- energy with 



40 

\vh'u-h lie superintended the (iic uniks, in spite, as one may say, 
in the very teeth, of the rain. 

G. W. .John & Co.'s advertisiu;; wa^on was variously eoiu- 
mented on. This mueh, at least, may he said: It was a sueeess 
artistieally and nicchanieally. 

The I. (). (). F. delegations fully deserved all the praise they 
eleeited — and it was not a little. Charley Maitin, Esq., of Lau- 
rel Point, headed the ilelegation with their artistic l)anner. 

Some of the pieees in the display of lireworks were veiy good; 
viz: The revolving wheels, fiery ser[)ents, <fee., and notwithstand- 
ing the disagreeable night the streets were full of interested 
spectators. 

The Indians, with their war-paint and parajdiernalia of war, 
attracted much attention. They rode in the i)rocession with all 
the gloomy grandeur of their forefathers a hundred years ago. 

'Monongalia! the age of the Republic numl)ers thy years! 
Monongalia, mother county of northern West Virginia I five gen- 
erations sleep in thy cemeteries, and thousands of loving hearts, 
the Great Republic over, cherish thee fondly as the land of their 
birth and the home of their fathers." — Wiley's History. 

It is very doubtful if any other citizen of West Virginia is 
able to attract an equal amount of attention and esteem with the 
venerable Senator Willey. He is beyond question "the noblest 
Roman of them all." 

The University cadet corps covered itself with glory — and 
mud. It is one ftf the best drilled companies in the country and 
marched with all the exactness and attention to every detail 
which characterizes the West Pointers. 

If the sun had been shining and the cars had been rnnuiiig 
where c«)uld we have put all the people? As it was. fifty mi'n 
slept in the court house Wednesday night, and every hotel and 
boarding-house was full to overflowing. 

Dr. W. ('. Kelly, who was cliMirman of t he ( ommittee on Dec- 
orations had the street decorations taken down on Monday 
morning. The Doctor and his committee deserve credit for the 
energy and taste displayed by them. They seem to liave l>eeu 
the right persons in the right place. 

The following telegram was received by (hainn.m Kvnns a 
few moments after the meeting had adjourned: 

PoKTi.ANi), Oregon, Oi-t. 29. 
Cut. James Kcn/ts: — "The great-grand-son sends greetings to 



50 

tho irrand-son of the first trustee of Morji^antown on this Centen- 
nial Day." DiDi.KV Kvans. 

To the hihor. eiier<;y and enterprise of the hulies and gentle- 
men eoniposini; the following; cominittee.s was the stieeess of the 
Centennial due: 

COMMITTICE ON I'KOGKAMME. 

Dr. ir. B. Lazier. F. R. St. (lair. A. K. Smith ;in<l Joseph 
Moreland. 

ON FINANCE. 

.1. M. Reed, J. S. Swindler, C. A. Hayes, J. C. Wallaeo, Clark 
MeVieker. an<l Misses Gertie Hayes, Maud McVicker and Lucy 
Johnson. 

ON MUSIC. 

R. K. Fast, J. Nye Kiger, Charles Hopkins, Fa\ C. Protzman 
and D. B. Purinton. 

ON PRINTING. 

N. N. Hortman, J. E. Fleming, Charles Shanks. George C. 
Hayes and P'rank Cox. 

ON DECORATION. 

Dr. W. C. Kelley, U.J. Sheets, John G. Samsel, M. H. Carraco, 
and Misses Callie Hagans, Jennie Seraans and Bessie Finney. 

ON GENERAL ARRANGEMENT. 

Joseph Moreland, Elias Ring, W. C. McGrew, George M. John, 
C. B. Dille and J. M. Hagans. 

ON KIREAVORKS. 

K. Shisler, John H. Willey, Dr. S. S. Wade, Richard Laishley 
and John W. Lazier. 

ON MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS. 

Mrs. L. R. Coogle, and Misses Mary Chandler, Carrie Dawson, 
Mary Semans, Lula Piekenpaugh, Flora Fast, Jennie Staggers, 
Hattie (;ooj)er, Bessie Wallace, Cora Donley, Maggie Donley, 
Dora Dorsey, Myrtle Dorsey, Nettie Carraco, Nellie Ankeny. 
Lou Baker, Sallie Wells, Emma Coombs, Blanche Anderson, 
Fannie Lazier. Lizzie Moreland. Olie Lawhead, Katie Hogue, 
Carrie ^Linear, Maj' Lawhead, Gay Lawhead, Hattie Pride, 
Allie Pride, and Messrs. Sam Piekenpaugh, Milt Hirschnian, 
Coll Murphy. Harry Murphy. Frank Vandervort, Marion Daw- 
son, Elmer Jacol)s, Charles Dering. Arthur Lazier, Henry Lazier, 
George Haymond, Harry Pride, Will Morgan, William Hogne, 



51 

George A. Lees, R. K. Mi-Kinlcv. Thomas .Martin, George Koltin- 
son and Gcorire Porter. 

ON ALl>ITIN(i COMMITTKE. 

J. M. Hagans, J. M. Reed, and E. Shisler. 
One of the most commendable features of the cele>>ration was 
the lunch tables provided by the ladies of the town. By this 
means thousands of cups of steaming coffee took the place of so 
many cups of beer. Pies, sandwiches and other eatal)les were 
served at cheap prices and at various i)laces in town, thereby 
accommodating a great many who could not otherwise have 
found anything to eat during the day; for the houses, public and 
private, were filled the day before. All honor to the ladies' fore- 
thought! 

THE OI-D KELICS. 

Many old relics were l>rought in and deposited in the Court 
House — some of them over 300 years old. 

A fine display of ancient relics was made by Miss Drusilla 
Ann Morgan (the only surviving sister of Zackwell Morgan). 
Miss Morgan resides with her brother-in-iaw, H. D. McGeorge, 
in this place, and is the youngest living grand-daughter of Col. 
Zackwell Morgan for whom Morgantown was named. 

The relics were deposited in the Court House during all the 
day of Thursday', and were greatly sought after by those who 
like to look at "things used in olden times.'' There was a small 
set of China cups and saucers, beautifully ornamented by hand- 
painting; also, a cream pitcher and three wine glasses. These 
articles are 120 years old, or more, and were once owned by 
Mrs. Anna Madera, wife of Christian Madera, who left them to 
Miss Morgan at her (Mrs. Madera's) death in 18I5S. 'I'hey 
were l)rought to this country from (iermany. 

A beautiful, large, fine, linen table cloth, made by hand 
(woven) from spun flax, by liarbara liarlay, was also on exhi- 
bition. It was Itrought from Heading. Pa., by Mrs. Madera 
when she came to Morgantown nearly a hundred years ago. It 
is 125 years old. or more. 

A cotfee mill — the first one ever brought to Morgantown, was 
also exhibited by Miss Morgan, and she informs us that it was 
such a great curiosity that nearly every family in town, at that 
day borrowed it to grind their cotfee. The mode of "grinding" 
cotfee in those days was by pounding it in a mortar. 

A exquisit set of silver teasi)oons. almost worn as thin as 



■writini:; puiior. was also in Miss Morgan's collection, which used 
to I)L'!on2: to the Madera family and had been handed down. 
All the above articles were gifts to Miss Morgan by her grand- 
mother Madera. 

There were also exhibited copies of a General History (in 
German), printed in 1089, belonging to tlie Kussart fainily of 
Taylortowu. They were in charge of .^latthew Larkin. Also, 
a "Martin Liithcr Bible," of 1701. 

Wiliiaiii Scholes exhiltited a pair of lnass candlesticks, 
brought to America in 1780; one sugai- bowl; English •■Sipiiic;" 
Washington picture in frame, &c., &c. 

J. F. Weaver exhibited a square (wot)den, tri-siiuare) over 100 
years old. 

F. A. Bering's exhibit consisted of four pieies of old Ghina; a 
half-sheet of Jlonoiu/'itifi Gazette, etc. 

Two i)ewtcr dishes, 150 years old or more, were shown by T)r. 
Jos. A. McLane. 

Miss Mary .\ikcirs collection consisted of a catet'liism of 17<')4: 
a comforter 110 years old, made by Mary Tingle. 

A pair of shears over 100 years old that l)elong to the Thomp- 
son family, was an object of interest, and a cow-lu'll made by 
Abram Guseman in 1785, was gazed at with wonder. 

A sword bayonet, found on the Everly brothers' bottom farm, 
was placed on exhibition by 8. Z. T. Martin. 

An ancient spinning-wheel was especially noticeable. It be 
longs to Mrs. John 1). Robinson, but we could not get its his- 
tory. 

LETTEKS OF KK(;i;ET. &C. 

Stanlkwiij-k, Oiiro. Oct. 10. 
Editors Post: — Pernut me to acknowledge to the Centennial 
Committee through your paper, the kind invitation to be present 
on the -iOth to enjoy tlie eeU'l»ration of the One Hundredth An- 
niversary of the founding of the 'C^ueen of the Monongahela." 
I regret my inability to be present, but I regard the object 
worthy the liest etforts of all the citizens of the county. I ex- 
pect to see a fidl account of it in the Post. It is always a wel- 
eomi' visitor to my room and is regarded as highly as a letter 
from iioiiie. ^'ours. T. I. .M< I\a. 



Weston, li.i... Oct. :!0. — Your imitation to lie present at your 
Centennial is at hand. 1 regiet vi-ry luiicli that it is impossi- 
lile I'oi- un' to lie i)iesent. Nevertheless, I hope you will have 



o3 

pleasant weallu-r and a liciit'ial ydod tiim-. Cny ] am awaic wln-n 

old Monoiiiialia tries slu- can iiiak<' tliinus liowll Yours willi 
mnfli ri'spc'ct, Art-. S. A. McCAiirxKv. 



Mksoi'otamia, Ohio. Ot-t. 27. 
Ifciir Posi iind Ceiifciitiial ('o))ihiiifce:—'Siit until this late 
hour did 1 1)Ut think that I eould he with you at the ( "entennial. 
I eannot eonie as I expeeted. We thank you very kindly for 
your kind invitation, hoping many old friends may he with you 
and tliat you may have a pleasant time — never to be forgotten. 
I will think of you all on the 2Nth', hoping to he lemenibered Ijy 
all friends, as they all have my kindest wishes. I ever think of 
my dear old home, the i^laee whiidi I am hound to with many 
tender ties, and the place of my ehildhood days. Xo vast 
l)rairies oi' pleasant surronndings will ever make me forget the 
old "sweet home." I.ida M. Wilcox. 



Favktticvili.i:, Akk.. Oct. Ttli. 
Editors Post. — The kind invitation of the Centennial ( 'om- 
niittee to he present at the exercises of your coming Centennial 
celebration is received. I assuie yo»i tliat nothing would give 
me more jdeasure than to be present on the 29th inst. and wit- 
ness the interesting exercises of that day; and were respite from 
other engagements possil)le, licit hei- time nor distance shonld 
keep me away. Wishing you a pleasant and jiropitious anni- 
versary occasion, I am respectfully yours, 

(ii;o. I). I'lKINToN. 



Rai.i:i«;ii, N. C., Oct. 20. — Many thanks to your ( fntennial 
committee and the i)eo))le of my natiVe c<»unty. win on you rep- 
resent, foi- an in\itation to lie piesent at your < entennial cele- 
bration. 

ThouLih I liaxc been aliscnt for more than twenty years. 1 
have always lelt a lively inten-st in the welfari' and progress of 
the people of magniticent old Monongalia. All these years I 
have been inteicsted in every forwar<l steit they have taken. 
For a long time I have regarded them as in the very vanguard 
of progress in many ways — espt'cially in educatif)n. With 
those who still remain I regretted the want of railroad facilities, 
and I think very few of the sons born within the county's borders, 
whether residing on tlic iiati\c heath or helping to build up 



54 

(•lewliere, rejoiced more than I, when one or moio railroads 
through the county became a fixed fact, I regret that your lirst 
railroad, now so nearly completed, will not )te finished to the 
good and ancient "Borough of Morgantown," in time to carry 
hither the many tliousands who would be glad to avail themselves 
of this modern triumphal car of progress to rideintothe gem city 
of the beautiful Monongahela; and still more do I regret that 
engagements in a neighboring State, which cannot be postponed, 
will prevent me from being present on the memorable i'Jth. 
Still, in spirit I will rejoice with all good people of town and 
county in the prosperity' and progress of the past hundred 
3'ears, and still more at the prospective advancements within 
the next ten j^ears. Thanking you again for kindly remember- 
ing one of the children, who has been so long absent, I am yours, 
very truly, J. M. Heck. 



Penuyx, Cai.ifouxia, Oct. 21. 
Dear Post: — I desire to express my appreciation of, and re- 
turn thanks for, the kind invitation received from Centennial 
Committee to be present at the celebration, Oct. 29th ; and I tell 
you what I am sorr}' to say, I am "Over the Hills and so Far 
Away,'' that I cannot be there on that glorious day. Yours, 

L. M. Pkotzman, 



MlNNKAPOI.rS, ^flNN., Oct. 24. 

//. M. Mo)-yan, Esq. — Dear Sir: — Enclosed i)lea8e find twen- 
ty-five dollars, which mother and mj^self wish to contribute to- 
wards the Centennial fund. We wish you a most hai)in' time 
and are only too sorry that we cannot be present. 

• Yours trulv, E. W. Wilsok. 



55 



HISTORICAL 

AND 

BIOGR-A.PIIICA_L 

Papers, Sketches and Essays. 



FURNISHED FOR THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

MORGANTOWN. 



56 



Its Physicians, Past and Present, Diseases Incident to its 
Locality, Climate, Modes of Living, Want of Proper 
Sanitary Regulations Past and Present, Sugges- 
tions to be made in the near Future, to 
Lessen the Cause of Disease and Promote 
the Health of its Citizens. By 

DR. josp:ph a. mclanp:. 



As directed l>v the Centennial Committee, the undersigned 
has reoiiUed to mind such facts in rehition to the medical his- 
tory of the town of Morgantown, as opportunity has offered 
him. It shoidd be stated in the outset that the materials for 
medical l)ioo-raphv are not very abundant, and tliat iiiucli that 
I here record is of traditional character. 

Auiouii- tlu' Ih'sl physicians who practiced in this vicinity, I 
would name Dr. Tluunas Ilersey. Tins gentleman, I was in- 
formed by an old soldier of the war \Hl'2. accompanied, as sur- 
geon. Ilif iiiilitaiy force sent from .Monoiiiz.alia county to the 
Western department at Fort Meigs. He was described as a man 
of versatile tui"n, and not only popular as a physician, Init for 
that day, was a preacher of the gos[)el of considerable ability. 
Before our soldiers left for the frontier he and Kev. Joseph A. 
Shackelford delivered ministerial addresses for their spiritual 
benefit. Whether Dr. Ilersey lived to return, or any further 
items of history, I have been unable to ascertain. 

Not long after the date referred to there caraetooui- Itttrough, 
Dr. ThMnris 11 > i 1. II '. it i-i reported, had been a citi/.en of Phil- 



57 

ailelphia and bore the chavat-ter of a physician in good stand- 
ing. It seems from what I could learn concerning" liim that he 
had become interested in land in this part of Virginia and re- 
mained in ^lorgantown as the agent of a company organized by 
capitalists in Philadeli)liia. 

In the old Pennsylvania Ilopital there was a line i)ainting. 
representing Howard, the Philanthropist, visiting the inmates ot 
a prison. This painting, I was told by an old physician, had 
been presented to the Hospital by Dr. Thomas Bond. Dr. Bond 
did not live to return to his native city, but died here and was 
buried under the old Presbyterian church. On erecting the new 
church it became necessary to remove Dr. Bond's remains to a 
new grave. Scarcely more than a few handl"uls of dust re- 
mained. 

Dr. Enos Daugherty, an eastern Virginian, came to Morgan- 
town about the beginning of the present century. He and 
Dr. "Wells were the only regular physicians in practice here for 
a number of years. Dr. Daniel 3Iarchant also engaged in the 
practice of his profession for a short time in Morgantown. 

A few years i)revious to the death of Dr. Daugherty, Dr. 
Charles McLane removed to Morgantown from Connellsville. Pa. 
From data in my possession it was in the year 1823 that my 
father arrived. Drs. Daugherty and McLane were the only phy- 
sicians in regular practice here for several years. Dr. Charles 
McLane was born in Tyrone county, Ireland, and emigrated with 
his parents. Alan and Elizabeth McLane and his brother "Wil- 
liam, to America in the year 1805. He studied medicine in 
Lancaster, attended lectures in the University of Pennsylvania, 
and received his degree at the Pennsylvania ^Medical College. 
He died in 1878 in the eighty-eighth year of his age. Dr. Thomas 
Laidley recently deceased, who for many years practiced exten- 
sively in Carmichaels. was one of his earlier students. 

Dr. Colostian Billingsley, who afterward practiced in co-part- 
nership with him, studied in his oflice. Among the-students 
who received medical instrr.ction from him, I may name Dr. J, 
A. McLane, Dr. Isaac Scott and tlie late Dr. Hugh W. Brock, 
Prob'ssor of Anatomy and Physiology in the West Virginia 
rnivcr.sily. and whose loss we deplore. 

The next physician to settle in our l)orough was Dr. B. R. C. 
O'Kelly. Dr. O'Kelly was born in Ireland and educated for the 
l)riesthu(Ml. If my memory serves me, he told me that he re- 



58 

cc'ivcd his education in Tooin College, Ireland. After studying 
medicine in Eastern Virginia he married a Miss Massie and re- 
moved to Morgantown. After the birth of two children, a son 
and daughter, his wilt' died. He subsequently married a daugh- 
ter (tf the late Fielding Kiger, Ity whcim he had several sons. 
He and his second wife l)oth died in this place. Being a man of 
delicate constitution, it was only by the greatest care for years 
that he was enaliled to practice his profession. For many years 
he lived an exemplary member of the Methodist Protcst.-mt 
church and dicil in that communion. 

Dr. S. T. Taylor, from Eastern Maryland, settled in 3Ioigan- 
town in iNoi! or ".ii. and after remaining a year or so returned 
to the region of country from wliich lie came. 

Shortly after Dr. Taylor left. Dr. Oliver Morgan, who had 
been practicing in Waynesburg, Greene county. Pa., removed to 
this jjlace and entered into partnership with Dr. Charles Me- 
Lane. He remained here several years, but being ottered Itetter 
prosi)ects in the West, he removed to Kockport. Indiana. 

The next pliysiciau who came from al>road to make liis liomc 
with us was Dr. Watson Carr. Dr. Carr came fr(»m Winchester. 
\'a.. and after practicing alone for some time associated with 
Dr. Lacey, and after their dissolution, he took as partner. Dr. 
(iyer. of Winchester. Va. After remaining here for a couple of 
years Dr. G. returned to Eastern Virginia. 

It should lie stated that i)rcvi(»us t;> the arrival of Dr. W. 
('arr, a young physician l)y the name of Dr. Charles Waldon, :i 
native of Eastern Mrginia. and a student of Dr. li. K. C. O'Kelly. 
practiced in our town with Dr. O'Kelly. lie afterward married 
a daughter of Rev. Jos. A. Shackelford and removed to Mis 
souri. 

A Noung [iliysician. Dr. Joseph Edson. IVom Eastern \'irginia. 
en visiting Morgantown. united in partnership with Dr. Carr, 
and continued to practice with him until his last sii-kness and 
death extending probably to some three years in practice. 

During the yi-ar 1848 Dr. A. J. Howman, of ( larksville. Pa., 
came to Moigantown and began to practice his professit)n. He 
continueil in prac-tice until tiie date of his last sickness and 
death, which occured in 18")*.>. 

Dr. Luther S. lirock. who read medieine witl' his brother, and 
was for some years his partm-r in business, graduated at Jetler- 
son Medical CoUciic in 1874. Dr. H. is still in l)usiness and as- 



59 

sociated in co-partuership with Dr. Spencer S. Wade, Dr. Wade 
read medicine witli Dr. Broek, and uradnnted in 1SS4 at .Teller- 
son Medical College. 

Dr. C. H. McLane, who read medicine with his father, entered 
the volnnteer service of U. S. — served during the war, and sub- 
sequently graduated at Columbus, Ohio. After practicing here 
a short time he removed to Steubenville, Ohio, where he still is 
engaged in his profession. Dr. Wm. L. McLane, another son, 
and also a student of Dr. J. A. McLane, after reading medicine 
with his father, attended lectures and graduated at the College 
of Physicians and Surgeons in Baltimore. At present he is en- 
gaged in medical practice in Fairview, W. Va. 

Dr. Bdwman. before referred to, united in co-i)artuership with 
Dr. H. N. .^LK•key in 18,52. Dr. H. N. Mackey, a native of Fay- 
ette county, Penna., and a graduate of Jefferson Medical Cdl- 
lege, as above stated, settled in ^Nlorgantown in 1852, and after 
dissolution of partnership with Dr. Bowman he opened an oflice 
Viy himself and continues in practice at this date. 

In the list of medical practitioners I should not omit to name 
that of Dr. Thomas Brooke, who at an early day, came to Mor- 
gantown and established an oflice. Dr. Brooke came from Alle- 
gheny county, Maryland, and after practicing in this place, pur- 
chased a farm and resided on it until his death. His son. Dr. 
Benjamin, studied medicine with Dr. W. Carr, and after practic- 
ing in this county, removed to Montana. Another son, Hon. E. 
G. Brooke, of Montana, will doubtless be remembered by his 
numerous friends and relations in this vicinity. 

In the year 1859 Dr. Samuel Kelly removed from Mount 
Pleasant, Penna., to this place and continued to follow his pro- 
fession until I8()2. when he entered the military service at Graf- 
ton, at which ])lace he died before tlie elose of the war. His 
son Dr. ( hailts Krlly. after graduating at thi- I'liix i-rsity of 
New York, continues to itractice in Morgantown. 

Dr. Thomas H. Price, a student of the late Di-. Broik. iira(ti»e<l 
medicine in Mfirgantown several years, and sul)se<iuently re- 
moved to Bridesl)urg. Philadelphia, wliere he resides at this 
date. He attended and graduatecl at .lelferson Medical College. 

Dr. .1. P. Fitch studied medicine with Dr. Maekey. and grad- 
uatt'cl in Bclvicw Medical College in ISSl. After praetieing 
with Dr. M. lie opened an office by himself, and rontinues to 
practice his profession at tliis date. 

Of those practicing other systems of meilieine, in Morgan- 



no 

town, I would iiainc Kcv. Dr. Iluntei'. as liavinu' been the fii-st to 
introduce the houKeopathie system. 

Subsequently Dr. A. ('. .Miller, who had attended the Houiceo- 
pathic C'ollege, Philadelphia, established himself here and prac- 
ticed for several A'ears. He afterwai'd removed to the West, and 
his present residence is to the writer unknown. 

Subsequently Dr. AI. L. Casselberry removed from Eastern 
Pennsylvania to Morgantown. He graduated in the Homoeo- 
pathic College, of Philadelphia in 1853, and has 1)een practicing 
some years in co-partnershij) with Dr. E. H. Coombs. 

Dr. Coombs, after stud3'ing medicine here and graduating in 
the Philadelithia Homceopathic College in 1800, entered into co- 
partnership with Dr. Casselberry, as aljove stated, and continues 
ti) pi-artire with him at this date. 

TOroUKAPIIY. 

The borough of ^Morgantownis situated on the eastern l)ank of 
the 3Ionongahela river, below its confluence with the Decker, 
and is in latitude 39 deg. 37 min. ^lud 57 sec. North. Longitude 
'2 deg. 39 min. and 30 sec. West. It is pleasantly situated upon 
the elevated terraces of the river, at a height of from fifty to 
one hundred feet above high water mark. 

The facilities for sewerage are ami)le and perhaps unsur[)assed 
by any other town in the State. 

Of this [joint the authorities of the place have not been un- 
mindful, and a number of stone culverts as well as tiled drains 
have been built to conduct any offensive sewage to the rivei. 

Some of these drains have been in use for fifty years, and 
seem at this date to be in a perfect state of preservation. 

SANIT AKV COXDITIOX. 

The health of our town will compare favorably with any other 
town of its size in the State. 

Those diseases of malarial origin are here almost entirely un- 
known. Such cases of intermittent fever, as have been treated 
l»y our i)hysicians, may be said to be exclusively of distant 
origin, and have come here tVoni those paludal districts, where 
(in their proiier seasons) that unwelcome disease is known to l)e 
endemic. Pure air, good water and wholesome food are desider- 
ata of greatest imi)ortance to the public health. As in all 
places in this latitude, IMorgantown and the neighl)oring coun- 
try have not been entirely free from epidemic influence. 

Fntui inl'oruiation in my possession I have learned that the 



(U 

iirst oenc'ial rpidi-iDic- w:is thai ol" dysenU'rv, wlik-li si)rc-a(l gen- 
erally over this itart of the State in LS22. It was followed l»y 
another eiiideniic of the same disease some 20 years sulise- 
(luently. 

During the fall of 1838 the scarlet fever became suflicienlly 
prevalent to acquire the character of an epidemic in certain dis- 
tricts. Its attacks were confined almost exclusively to infancy 
and early childhood, and not as that which had visited Connells- 
ville and some other points extending to those in adult life. 

Enteric fever (typhoid) has occasionally existed in sporadic 
form in our coinmuuity. l»ut not in the form of an epidemic 
since 1853. 

During the year 1851 anumlter of severe cases occurred, liut 
iu 1853. as above stated, it became very general. 

Since the last date, with the exception of pulmonary diseases 
such as pneumonia, pleurisy, etc.. (generally arising from care- 
lessness in dress and exi)osure to those vicissitudes incident to 
our climate) the general health has been good. 

Tilt' town depends upon wells for its supph' of water for drink- 
ing and culinary purposes. Good water is usually reached at 
from twenty to thirty feet, and when once struck, appears to lie 
abundant and permanent. 

Beneath the town that rock stratum, known as the Mahoning 
sand stone, is spread and is a perfect protection from any in- 
roads that otherwise high water from either the Decker or Mon- 
ongahela might produce. 



(12 



Its Practical Jokes and Jokers; Its Thrice Told Tales; Le- 
gends, Ghost Stories, Exaggerations, Doings 
and Sayings, Marvelous and In- 
credible; Its Fun, Wit, 
Humor, &c. 
By JOSEPH MORELAND, ESQ. 



It is said that "the great cities of tlie worhl mark the })rogres9 
of mankind in arts, commerce and civilization, and form a sort 
of index to the rise and fall of material greatness."' I know not 
why the same ma}'' not be said of towns and even of villages. 

The village expands into a town and In' growth becomes a city. 
The great cities of the world had their beginnings in towns or 
villages. When the historian comes to write of the great city 
he not unfrequentl}' finds its beginning totally obscured and 
fancy weaves a fable to take the place of facts. Yet nothing 
would lie moi'e interesting to the reader than a true liistory of 
those earl}' events and nothing so much sought after by the 
historian. May we not hope that in the prei)aration of these 
sketches we are contributing a mite at least to the future his- 
torian of Morgantown when she shall be of sufficient importance 
to take rank among the cities of the world. As the future his- 
t(;rian of Morgantown passes over his field of ol)servation and 
notes in detail the events that go to make up the history, its 
thrice told tales will be of the very res r/esta'. Its legends, 
ghost stories, exaggerations; doings and sayings, marvelous and 
incredible, will furnish beauty and adonnncnt, and its jokes, its 
fun, its wit and its humor will give pith and i)oint to the whole. 



03 

All will <:(» towaid makinii" u ti'iu' iiictiin- (if the iiianiR-rs. cus- 
toins, hal)its, tastes and pcc'iiliarities of tiiosc who ikm)jiK'(1 tlu- 
city in the days of its iufancy. 

With the hope, then, that Morgantown will some time become 
II great eity. and that these fragments, though inconsiderable, 
may some day riuuish a more considerable historian pabidum 
for a more consideral>le history, let us gather its thrice told 
tales, its legends, ghost stories, exaggerations, doings and say- 
ings marvelous and incredible, its practical jokes, its fun, wit 
and humor: and endeavor to effect their preservation. 

TIIK IX'KEUI.KVS. 

Going liack to the vei'v earliest period ol" which we have any 
account, we fall upon the thrice-told tale of Dr. Thomas Eck- 
erly and two brothers, who were the first white men who ever 
set foot in this region. One hundred and thirty years ago they 
came, and were destroyed by the savages before they had defi- 
nitely determined where they would locate. They V)eloiiged to a 
sect called Tunkards, or Dunkards. They went abroad in imi- 
tation of the founder of their Christian faith, with the right 
hand of fellowship extended and giving the kiss of eharity to 
all. They annointed the sick with oil. and depended upon this 
unction and their prayers for their recovery. They were known 
as "the harmless iteople." ])ut a people who commended celibacy 
as a virtue; who discouraged marriage: who refused to fight, or 
take oaths or go to law: were not the material with which to 
plant a colony among fierce satages. They camped in south- 
western Pennsylvania on the waters of a stream which they 
called Dunkard. in honor of the sect to which they belonged, 
and thence they removed across Monongalia territory to the 
place since called Dunkard Bottom, on Cheat river, where they 
met their sad fate. They were utterly destroyed in one night by 
Indians. 

The historian of Monongalia county (»bserves that ''as the 
Eckerlys ascended the stream upon which they had camped their 
gaze must have fallen upon the vast forest region of ^lonongalia. 
Such a rigion they foresaw possessed too many advantages to 
remain unsettled, and as they sought solitude they turned back. 
Strange explorers were they indeed to turn away from a coun- 
try because it was too inviting. Yet such were the Pvckerlys. 
the first while men who ever trod on the soil of Monongalia."" 
And the same historian observes further thai the first discover- 
ers of ^lonongalia couutv were the lirst white settlers murdered 



64 

1)V Indians west of tlie Allciihcnies. ot" wliich there is nut any tu- 
eount. 

THOMAS I>i;CKi:i!. 

Another thriee-told tale relates to the sad fate of an historic- 
person at the hands of savage Indians about five years later. 
One whose name attaehes to the ereek, whieh, taking its rise 
among the rocks and crags of our grand old mountains, comes 
first ''creei)lngand sweeping" then "roaring and pouring" along 
its picturesque course until passing at the very threshold of our 
homes, when, as if tamed hy the influence of our civilization, 
with calm and dignified mien, it mingles its pure waters with 
those of the placid Mcmongahela.. The story of Thf)mas Decker 
and liis terriltle fate are eloquently told by lion. John J. Brown 
in his ("entennial oration delivered at Morgantown on the 4th 
da}' of July, 187(), thus: 

"Near the spot where we are now assembled, when the au- 
tumnal frosts had tinged with gold and crimson the matured 
foliage of the tall hickor}' and the wide spreading sugar tree 
near six-score j-ears ago, while George II. sat upon the throne of 
Great Britain, a few adventurous pioneers penetrated the dense 
wilderness and erected their log cabins. Doubtless the giant 
oaks which then stood ui)on the hills around us were girdled or 
felled to make room for the hoped-for harvest of the coming 
year. Whence the}' came we know not. History records only 
their sad fate; and the stream near whose banks we now stand 
alone perpetuates the memor}- of Thomas Decker. But one of 
their number escaped to tell of their sudden surprise and de- 
struction ere the flowers had bloomed and the buds had opt-ni'd. 
in the following spring. The 3Iingos and Delawaivs found tlicni 
on their hunting grounds, and upon the site of tlieir humble 
cabins, and over scattered ashes, are now erected the substantial 
and elegant homes of citizens of the Athens of West Virginia." 
Till- one fortunate enough to escape the massacre found his way 
to Fort Redstone — now Brownsville, Pa., and from thence the 
sorry fate of Decker and his companions was carried to Fort 
Pftt — now Pittsburg, and Captain John Gibson with thirty nu-n 
set out to intercept the Indians. They failed in this, but on 
their return at a place near where Steubenville in Ohio now is, 
the}' came upon a party of Indians headed by the Mingo chief 
named "Little P^agle." A bullet fired by .the chief passed 
through the hunting shirt of Captain Gibson, whereupon the 



05 

brave Captain sprang' forward and swinging; Ids sword with liercii- 
lean force severed the head of Little Eagle fioni his Itody. The 
Indians tied in dismay and reported to their people that the 
liead of their chief had been cnt off with a big knife. From 
hence Captain Gil)Son liecame famous as tlic "Hig Knife War- 
rior," and \'irginians liecame known among the Xoitliwesteiii 
Indians as the "Big Knife Nation." 

Thomas Decker's settlement was destroyed in the year 1755. 

THE .mok<;ans. 

Nine years later the indomitable Morgans came and settled at 
the mouth of Decker's creek. The chcmicles of Border Ware- 
fare say tliat '-this year (17(54) the place which had been f»ccu- 
pied for awhile by Thomas Decker and his unfortunate asso- 
ciates, and where Morgantown now is situated, was settled by a 
party of emigrants, one of whom was David Morgan, who be- 
came so conspicuous for personal prowess and for daring, vet 
fVeliberate courage displa3-ed by him during the subscMjuent 
troubles with the Indians." David Morgan, however, is said to 
have left his brother, Zackwell INIorgan, in the possession of the 
land where Morgantown now stands while he ascended the Mou- 
ongahela river, and made a settlement opposite the mouth of 
Prickett's creek, in what is now ^Marion county. 

He reared three sons, to wit: Stephen. Evans and Zackwell. 
The Hon. BenJaminS. Morgan, the present State Superintendent 
of Free Schools in West ^'irginia. is a great-grand son of the 
one last named. Zackwell Morgan, (brother of David) liad 
some seven sons:' Levi, Halph, David, Uriah, Morgan, (known 
as "Mad") James an<l Zackwell. Miss Di'uzilla Morgan, a 
j^rand-daughter of Zackwell, is still living in Morgantown. and is 
a sprightly old maid alxtut sixty years of age. Her father. 
Zackwell Morgan, jr.. was a captain in the war (»f 1S12. A rela- 
tive of David and Zackwell .Morgan naiiieil \N'illi:iui .Morgan set- 
tled at the Dunkard Bottom, wlieic the unfortunate Eckerleys 
met their doom, in what is now Preston c(uinty, about the sann' 
tinu' l)M\id and Z;ickwell settleil jicre. They are all r»'latives of 
General Daniel .Morgan, of Pevolutionarv fame, 
^n KDKK or i5Ai,i> i:a<;i.k. 
At the time these settlements were cfimnienced tlieic was 
peace between the whites and the Indians. Anuuig the causes 
leading to the war of 1774 was the cruel and un[»rovoked mur- 
der of Bald Eagle, iiorder W.irfare states that "P>ald Eagle was 



an rn<l(:in u!* iioturifty. U(>\ only amono lii> ,,\vn iiatinii. Init 
niiionji' the ii)li;il)it:iiits ot the Nortliwcs'u-ni iVoiitiiT. with wliom 
hi" was in the h;il>it of HssfK-iatiiiu". In om- of his visits anionu" 
thi-ni lie was disrovcivd alone- liy Jacoli Si-ott. Wni. Hac-kcr and 
Klijah Himncr. who. reckless of the »'onsc(|ii('nc('s. inmdi'ifd 

him. wlioll\ to i^ratily a most wanton thirst foi- Indian til 1. 

Al'tiT tin- t-ommission of this most ont lauvons tMioi-mit\' thcv 
sratcil him in tin- stern of his eaiioe. and with a piece <)t")()hnnv- 
lake thiMist into liis month set him aHoat on the !Monon<i"alu'la. 
In this situation he was seen deseendinu the river by several 
who supposed him to he. as usual, i-eturnina t"r(»m a tViendlv 
hunt witli tiif whites in the upper settlements, and who e\[iress- 
ed some astonishment that he did not stop to see them. The 
eanoe lloatinu' near to the shore, helow the mouth of CJeorae's 
iri'ck. was observed Ity a Mrs. rro\ince. who had it lirouii'ht to 
the hank, and the friendly. I>ut unfortunate old Indian decentK 
buried." 

'I'r.idit ion sa\'s that the wiiiwani of iJ.-ild Ha^le was on the 
waters of (heat liver not far from its mouth, and that he was a 
fre(iuent and weleome visitor at Kern's Fort, then standinu' on 
Dei'ki'r's ci-eek just opposite the ground now oeeupied by >Ior 
aantown. Tliis murder was committed on tlu- Mononuahela 
river somcwheic Itetwi'cii the mouth of ('lieat river and Kerns 
Fort, and il is a ii'asonal>ie supi)osition that tin- old Indian was 
on his way lo or from this fort when he nn't his cruel and undt' 
served late. Scott, one of his murdei'ers. settled on the riii\ 
beai'inii' his name, which [uits into the .M(Uioniialiila at dimtown. 
about three miles Itelow Mor<iantown when' some of his ilescend- 
ants still reside. Il.acker \\vu[ furtherup the I'iver and settled on 
the stream called Hackers i-ici'k. and lu'came nott'd for braverx 
as well as unscrupulousnes in Indian wai-fare. it is iH-lated 
that he with foiii- others from Hacker's cieek settlemi'Ht. went. 
ai:ainst the n-ujonstrance of the setth-rs. to an In<lian (own called 
Uulltown on the Littl Kanawha, whei'i' li\t' families of friendlv 
Imlians li\c(l. whom they destroyed — men, wduieiiand children. 
and threw their luMlies into the river. Who Hunner was, or 
what li«-came of him is not kn(»wn to the writer. It was no doul>t 
in the minds of many of the savages, when t hey per pet rated t heir 
horrid liarbai'it ies in North Western ^'irii■inia dining the w;ii'of 
1771. to avenge the death of Uald Kagle and the innocent Idood 
of the live f.-unilies at i)ulltown. 



67 

Ml i;i>i:i; (ik mii.i.i:i; and wnm.iiN. 
It is notirenhlc lliat soiiif oftlu'ir iikisI ctiicI dccfls were done 
in M(tni>iiii:ili:i t-oinily :nnl in the scttlcint-nts made (in HnckiT's 
vrt'ck Mini tiu' niiiiiT .Munonir.Hlichi. Kaily in tlu- sprini: of 177N 
:i nninL'iiMis lunly ol" Indians c-ann' into Monontralia cdunty. niaii- 
inu tlu'ir way. as was ijcniTally sniiposccl, t(» tlic IVnt near Mcn- 
gantdwji. Tlu'y Irll in wilii a i»aity (»r wliiti's. ict nininLT tVuin 
the lal)()is of till' c'ornlicld atxnit a mile from (ohnns fort. The 
liordtT Warfare states tiiat '"the Indians had placed themselves 
on eaeh side of the road leadinii to the fort and from tiieii' cov- 
ert tired npon the whites l)efore tiic\' were awaic of <lan;icr. 
John Woodfin Iteini; on horseback hail his thiiih lnoken hy a 
l>all, which killed his horse and enabled them to catch him 
easily. Jacob Miller was slntt tbrongh the alxloinen and was soon 
overtaken, tomahawked and sealjied. The others escaped to the 
fort. Woodlin was afterwards fonnd on a considerable eminence 
overlooking the fort, tomahawked and scalped. Traditions in 
the family of ^liller still living in INkmongalia i-onnty. say that 
Miller, or his son Thomas, was plowing and ha<l set his gnn 
down in the held, ami that an Indian ciejit np and shot him 
with it. and then ran into the woods. Imt was overtaken and 
kilU'il. Tradition says also that Thomas .Miller, too, was killed 
by Indians. He is said to have Iteen tomahawked and scalped 
and his body |)i-opped np by forks against a large bci-ch tree, 
said to be still standing with Miller's initials and the date of 
his death cnt in the b;irk. Many of Miller's desci-ndants still 
live in the vicinity of this tragedy, and some of tlu-m in .Mor- 
gantown. Miller and Woodfin are said to have lieen killed on 
Miller's plaee, abont three miles from Ki-rn's Fort, now Morgan- 
town. This same company of Indians then went toDimkard 
creek and surprised a c(»m|)any of whites relurnini: fiom their 
work, ami killed tomahawkcil and scalped eighteen of their 
nu miter. 

ATTACK ON roirr MAKTIN. 

In the spring ot" the next ycai'. ( ITT'.I) when tin- pioneer faiin- 
ei-s on ('rooked run. in the same vicinity in which resided the 
Scotts. were gone forth to work on their farms, the fort known 
as Fort Martin, was attacked, and .I.-nnes Stuart. .lames Smal 
ley and Peter ('rouse were killed. .John Shriver ami his wife, 
two sons of Stii.'irt. two sons of Siuallcx and :i son i>f (rouse 
were earrii'tl into captivity. 



nil. >» urr.N. 

Ill AiiLiust (if tin- s;mic \t.*:ii'. ;is if liciit on ;i\ t'iij>inj>- the ilciitir 
of liald Ivinlf. till' s;i\ :iiiC'S appciiivfl aLiain in this neighltorliood. 
anU Fanny Srott and l*h(iMic Sfott, danjihters of ('ai)tain David 
S -ott. who w IS a iclative of Jacol) Scott. wtM'o niiirdereil Ity In- 
dians. \v!io WIT.' watfhini the patli they were traveling in taking 
dinner to the mowers in a meadow, said to be l)nt a short dis- 
tance ))C'low the present site of (Granville. The s|)ot wiiere they 
uii't tlieir terrible doom is said to be near the place whi-re James 
Hawthorne's residence now is. It is related in Border Warfare 
that the younger of these girls was killed on the spot, luit tin- 
other was taken some distance farther. Every search for her 
proved unavailing. an<l her father fon<lly hoped that she had 
been carried into captivity, and that he might tind her. For 
this purpose he visited Pittsburg, and engaged the services of a 
friendly Imlian to ascertain where she was and endeavor to ])re- 
vail on them to ransom her. Before his return from Fort Pitt 
sonu' of his neighbors, directed to the spot by lui^c/.ards hover- 
ing ovt'r it. found her mutilated and half eaten lio<ly. 

("aptaiii Fcli\ S.-ott, a son of ( 'ol. David Scott, and l>rother of 
the two girls murdered by the Indians bel(»w Jimtown. it is said 
lo>-ated where the town of Granville now is and was the founder 
111" that town. He married a daughter of ('ai)t. John Dent, who 
settled on and gave name to the stream known as Dent's run. 
('apt. John Dent was the first Sheriir of Monongalia count^, 
and his wifi' w.-is :i datiglitcr of ( ol. John F\ans. who was cleriv 
of the lirst court in the c(tunty. Mrs. Felix: Scott was. therefore, 
the daughter of the first Sheritf aiul the grand-daughter of the 
lirst c-otirt clerk in the county. Felix Scott studieil Law. became 
a politic-ian. and w.as a di-legati- in the Legislaturi- of \'irginia 
from .Monongalia county alxiut ISll or '12. About l8ll) he re- 
moxi'il to Missouri, and suliscinicnt ly Iiecame Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor of that State. Having Ikh-u defeated for Governor of 
.Missouri he reiiM\-ed to Oi'egou. It is said that about 1858. 
when hi- must Iim\c Ihh'Ii far aihauccd in life. Iia\ing gone to 
Illin(»is to visit a son, he starte(l to cross the Rocky Mountains 
with soiiu- lilooded stoi-k, ami. as he never reached his lionie in 
Oregon, is supposed to lia\c lu'i-n murdered by Indians. And 
so it would seem, moii' than thn-e fourths of a century having 
passed since the murder of P.ald Fagle. the hands of the 
Scotts and of the wi\ men wvrv still iiiiliiiUMl in each others 



69 

lilouil. Il is i>iiili;ililc that tlir cnu-l iiiurdt'i' (il' his sisters was 
still frt'sli ill till' iiU'iiiKiy of (apt. Scott, and liis iiativd lor the 
rare may have caiisiMl liim to coiiiinil some rush act whicii i)ro- 
\()ki'<l I'oi' him a late similar to theii's. 

The miir<kr of Mrs. Elizal)eth Pindall and two youiiu survey- 
ors named < i-a\vford ami Wriuiit liy Indians, ami 1 lie hair l)readt li 
eSL'Hpe of .Mi-s. Kaehel riiidall. on ( rooked Knii. and also the 
iiHirder of ilaiidsm-ker ami ids wife and child, the caittivity of 
C'legg and his children, and the miraculous escape of Mr.s. 
Clejif^ on the w; ters of Diinkard. aii' ri'laled in the chidnicles of 
Bonier Warfare: and Prof. Wiley relates that Indians ai)i)eaivd 
in 1781 at the mouth of DolTs run. and murdered John Statler, 
James Piles and two others, ainl carrie(l several into eaptivity. 
That Will. Dawson was taken captive near the site of (assville 
in ITS,"), and that the imlitms murdi-red all of a family named 
Hutchinson, on 1 )iinkard. e\ce|)t one dauuhtei'. who was taken 
(.■a|»tive hut that (ieorue 'J'ucki-r and James UTSeil followed on 
to the headwaters of the i-reek. and thei'e. with the assistanie of 
a tiaiiieil dou- ;ind their uuns. succee(U'd in killinii- all the 
Indians and resi'uin<>' the young' woman. These anil many other 
thriling- tales of Indian warfare are related as having oceurre(l 
in one and another places in Monongalia county: hnt they can 
scarcely i>e classed with thrice told tales of Morgantown. 

KXI'I.OITS o|- Tin; .MOliliANS. 

The people of .Morgantown take especial pride in rehearsing 
the tales of Indian warfare, wherein the Morgans ligiire(l. We 
stated that David .Morgan, leaving his hi-other Zackwell, in pos- 
session of the land where Morgantown now stands, went farther 
up the Monongaliela river, and during these stirring times he 
seems to have been located near Prickett's fort, in what is now 
Marion county. Border Warfare states that "the settlement on 
Hacker's creek was entirely hrokeii up in the spring of 177J(."' 
and that "in the iieighliorhood of Prickett's fort, the inhaliiants 
were early alarmedliy circumstances which induced aheliefthat 
the Indians were near, and they accordingly entered that gar 
rison." Among those who were at this time in the fort was 
David Morgan, then upwards of sixty years of age. lie li:id 
already Itecoiiie famous as an Indian lighter, hut at this time 
transpired his most noted achievement, which the author of Bor- 
der Warfare relates in these w(»rds: 

"Early in Api-il. 177'.>. lieing himself unwell, he sent his chil 



70 

(Iri'n — Stephen, a youth of sixteen, and Sarah, a girl of fourteen 
— to feed the cattle, at his farm, about a mile otf. The children, 
thinkiny- to reinain all day and spend the time in preparing 
ground for water melons, unknown to their father, took with 
them some bread and meat. Having fed the stock, Stephen set 
himself to work, and while he was engaged in grub])ing. his sis- 
ter would remove the brush, and otherwise aid him in the lalior 
of clearing the ground; occasionally going to the house to wet 
some linen which she had spread out to bleach. 

"Morgan, after the children had been gone some time, betook 
himself to bed, and soon falling asleep dreamed that he saw 
Stejjhen and Sarah walking about the fort yard scalped. 

"Aroused from slumber by the harrowing spectacle presented 
to the sleeping view, he inquired if the children had returned, 
and upon learning that they had not, he set out to see what de- 
tained them, taking with him his gun. As he approached the 
house still impressed with the horrible fear that he should find 
his dream realized, he ascended an eminence, from which he 
could dintinctly see over his plantation, and descrying from 
thence the object of his anxious solicitude, he proceeded directly' 
to them, and seated himself on an old log, near at hand. He 
had been here but a few minutes, before he saw two Indians 
come out from tiie house and make towards the c-hildren. Fear- 
ing to alarm them too much, and thus deprive them of the 
power of exerting themselves enough to make an escape, he appriz- 
ed them in a careless manner of their danger, and told them to 
run towards the fort — himself still maintaining his seat on tiie 
log. The Indians then raised a hideous yell and ran in pursuit; 
but the old gentleman showing himself at that instant, caused 
them to forbear the chase, and shelter fhemselves behind the 
trees. He then endeavored to effect an escape, by f!i<ilit, and the 
Indians followed nl'tiT him. Age and conse(iuent inlinnity, 
rendered him unalik', long, to continue out of their reach; and 
aware that they were gaining considerable on him, he wheeled 
to shoot. Both instantl}- sprang l)ehind trees, and Morgan seek- 
ing shelter in the same manner, got behind a sugar, which was 
so small as to leave part of his body exposed. Looking around, 
he saw a large oak, al)out twenty yards farther and he inade foi- 
it. Just as he reached it, the foremost Indian sought security 
Ix'liiiid tlic sugar sai)ling. which he had found insufficient for 
his protection. Tlu' Indian sensil)le that it would not shelte\- 



him threw himself (h>\vn Iiy the side of :i \o'^ ;it the loot of tht- 
sapliiiy. Hut tliis did not iitford hiin siitlleieiit coxci'. ;iiid Moi- 
unn, seeiiiu' iiim exposed to shot, fired at liiiii. Tlie liall took 
t'tleet. and tiie savaiiH' rollinu' over on iiis liack. -^tald'cd himself 
twice in the heart. 

•■Ilaviiiii' t iiiis sueeeech'd in killinii' one of his pursuers. Mor- 
i^an auain took to Hi<>ht, and the reniaininii' Iiuliau after him. 
It was now that trees eould afford iiim no seeuiity. His uun 
was uuloade(l. and his puisiier eould approach iiim safely. The 
iine([ual race was continued about sixty yards, when lookinu 
ovt-r his shouldei-. he saw the savage within a few paces of him. 
and Willi his nun raisi'd. Morgan sprang to one side, and tie- 
i>all whizzi'd iiarmless by him. The odds were now not great, 
and lioth advanced to closer comitat. sensible of the pi'ize for 
which they had to t-onteiid. and each determined to deal death 
to his adversary. 

'•Morgan aimed a lilow with his gun, but the Indian hui-led a 
tomahawk at him. which cutting his little finger off. and injuring 
the one next to it, knocked the gun out of his grasp, and they 
closed. Being a good wrestler. Morgan succeeded in throwing 
the Indian: but soon found himself overturned and the savajje 
upon him feeling for his knife and sending forth a most terrific 
yell, as is their custom wdien they consider victoi'v as secure. 
A woman's apron, which he had taken from the house and fast- 
ened around him abov*' his knife, so hindered him in gettinu' at 
it quickly that .Morgan, getting one of his fingers in his mouth. 
de[)rived him of the use of that hand, and disconcerted him ver\- 
much I»y continuing to grind it between his teeth. 

•At length the Indian got hold of his knife, but so far towards 
the blade, that Morgan, too, got a small h(»ld on the extieiiiitv 
of the handle and as the Indian drew it from the scabbard, Mor- 
gan biting his finger with all his might, and thus causing him. 
somewhat, to relax his grasp, drew it through his hand gashin»>- 
it most seveiely. By this time both had gained their feet, and 
the Indian, sensible of the great advantage gained over him, en- 
dcMvoreil to disengage himself; but .Morgan held fast to the lin- 
ger, until he had succeeded in giving him a fatal stab, and felt 
the almost lifeless l)()dy sinking in his arms. He then loosened 
his hold and departed for the fort. On his way lie met with his 
daughter, who, not Iteing able to keep |»ace with her brother, 
had followed his footstejis to the ri\i'r bank, where he had 



plunged, and -was then inakini: her way to tlu'canoo. 

"Assured thus far for the safety of his ehihlren, lie aeeonipa- 
nied his <lauuhter to the fort, and then in eoniiiany with a party 
of Mien, returned to his farm, to see if there were any appear- 
anees of other Indians being about there. On arriving at the 
spot where the desperate struggle had been, the wounded Indian 
was not seen, but trailing him by the blood, which flowed from 
his side, the}' found him concealed in the branches of a fallen 
tree. He had taken the knife fioni his body, bound up the 
wound with the ai)ron, and on approaching him, he accosted 
them familiarl}', with the salutation, 'How do do brother! How 
do do brother!' Alas, poor fellow ! their brotherhood extended 
no further than to the gratitication of a vengeful feeling. He 
was tomaiiawked and scalped; and as if this would not fill the 
measure of their vindictive passions, lioth he and his companion 
were flayed, their skins tanned and converted into saddle seats, 
shot pouches and belts." 

Hon. Wm. G. Hrown. in a Icttei- wiittcn to the West ^'irginia 
Historical Society in June, liSTo^ states that in the early settle- 
ment of ^lonongalia, a man named James Morgan (he probably 
meant David Morgan) was attacked by a small party of Indians 
and made a miraculous escape, killing several of his assailants. 
And that Moigan tanned the hide of one of them and sent word 
of his so doing to the Indians to intimidate them; but that, in- ' 
stead of intimidating them, only made them more determined to 
have revenge. Tliat accordingly in the fall of 1780 the Indians 
I'csiding near the mouth of Fishing creek, on the Ohio river, lif- 
ted out an exi)edition to kill Morgan and his family. These 
Indians ascended Fishing creek to its source and came down 
Indian t-reek to the Alonongahela liver. Crossing the river the}' 
took uj) \yhite Day to its sourci', intending to strike the head of 
Morgan's run whii-h Ihey would follow t() its mouth, wliere Wil- 
liam INIorgan, the relative ol" David and Zaekwell. ri'sided. on 
Dunkard Bottom, liut by mistake they fell upon (H-ei-n's run. 
and following it t Iicy caMu- to (Ji-i'cn's improvment near wiiere 
Kingwoo(l now is. There they murdered (ii'cen and his hired 
man, named Lewis, and one of (iicen's ehildren and made j)ris- 
oners of .M is. ({reen and two daughters, named Kli/.abeth and 
.Sarah. Another daughter, tluMi a little giri. being shot through 
the hand, fell down and holtling her wounded hand on her face 
allowed tiie blood to clot upon her fate and head so that the 
Indians, thinking sJie was dead, went awa\' and left her and she 



oscni Oil n(.'ioss (honl river to :i iR'i^liIior s house. 

Mr. Br<i\vn in his leiitcnnial or;iti(»n c>[' Pivston eoimty. savs 
tii;;t -Mrs. Clrt't'ii. jiI'tiM- ;i c-Nptivity of one nv iiiorc yi-nrs. \v;is ex- 
ch.-niged ami rotunu'tl to tlio (irecn plautntion. :m<l that she 
afterwards married a man named Moore, liy wliom she liad 
three ehildrcn. a son and two dauiihters, and after Moore's deatli 
she married a man named Spuruin. l»y whom she had another 
dau^j^liter. Tv.o of tliese daughters married RuMes, and some of 
their descendants of that name reside now on the edge of the 
moaatain some six or seven miles southeast of Morgantown. 

Mr. lirown in his centennial oration, fui'ther states, "After the 
deieat of the Indians liy (ien. Wayne and tlie treaty of peace of 
] TDo was concluded where the city of ( 'iuci)inati now stands, the 
two daughters of Green were found, one of the provisions of the 
treaty being that all the in-isoners should be set at liberty. 
"Sarah was the wife of a man by the name of Sourhaver, Elizabeth 
the wife of a man name King, both French traders. The girls 
wanted to come home and King not caring to leave his pursuits, 
sold his wife to a soldier by the name of Johnson, who took 
charge her and her little son by the name of John King. 

As the In<lian marriages were not recognized as valid, John- 
son married Mrs. King accordirr to our laws and returned. 
Sourliaver returned with his wife, remained at her mother's a 
short time, soUl out his interest in ihe Green lands to my father 
and returned to the Indians. Their descendants may be Indian 
(.'hicfs now, bravely contending for t!ie golden treasures of the 
Black Hills; at least they chose tlieir lots among the roving- 
tribes of t!ie 'Great West.' Johnson and his wife lived and died 
in this county, leaving beside John King, five children — Jesse, 
Isaac, Green, Sarah and Kebecca." 

One of Johnson's daughters. Kelecca it is said married a man 
named Gassel, and some of his descendants reside in M(Hgan 
tlistrift at this lime. 

Andrew Johnson, who at tin' time of tne'-Jdues ivaid," was 
taken f<»r a busliwhacker rnd along with Lloyd Keall was shot, 
is said to have been a son of this Rebecca Johnson, and conse- 
(luently a gi'eat-grand son of the old man Green. Another 
d.nughter married John Sennit and reared a f:.mily on Decker's 
ereek above ]\rorgantown, and our townsman Frank Si'unett is 
their son. 

Green is said to have been shot just in.side his cabin door, 



uliilc in till- act (t' takluii" down his ^iin to dofend iiis, lilV :iiul 
donru-il*.'. His lilood stiiint-d the Hoor of tlu* c-ahiu and wlicn 
James I>io\vn. tho father of Hon. Wm. G. lirown. a few years 
later moved into it the stains were still there, and evi-iv ettbrt 
of Mrs. lii'own to remove tlieni by scrnbliinu' and seonrinu- failed. 
Finally in order lo remove the unpleasant si)ectaele from view 
Mr. llrown took ui* the lloor and lu-wed Itieni awny v.illi his 
liioad axe. 

In the year 1777 a force ol' Indians niadf tiieir ai)peai;'.nce on 
Dunkard in the Zsorthwestern part o!" 3Ionongalia county and 
niade an attai ': upon the house of JacoV> Farmer. Two men 
and ft hoy were killed and others were missing. Amonu' tin* 
missinu' were two children of Jacob Jones, Nancy and Willitan. 
who v.'ere supposed l»y their friends and relatives to have heen 
killed, but as it turned out they were taken captive and were 
ke[jt by the Indians five years and then set at liberty. This 
William Jones is said to have returned afterward and resided 
near Gi-afton where he died at the good old age of nearly one 
hundred years. He related after his return that when the In- 
dians learned of David Morgan's fight with and killing two of 
the Indians nen* Frickett's fort he heard twoof the stoutest war- 
riors of the trilies swear au oath to kill Morgan or never return. 
And as tliev went on a trip to find Morgan and did not return, 
the Indians believed they were killed by the Morgans. It is 
cr>utended however that the ^Morgans had just cause for 
their iiatred against the Indians and their barbarous act of tan- 
ning the Indians' hides. The savages not onl^- committed mur- 
ders in their neighboihood and made raids for the express pur- 
pose of killing them and their kindred, l)ut they had actually 
nitinlcrcd and taken cai)tive some of their lihxtd relations. It is 
I'ccorded in the chronicles of Border Warfare that "Indians visit 
ed the house of William Morgan at the Dunkard Bottom ol' 
Cheat river and there killed a young man named Brain, Mrs, 
Morgi u. the m;;ther of William, and her grand-daughter, and 
Mrs. Dillon and her two children. They took Mrs. ^Morgan (the 
wil'e) and her child prisoners. When on their way home tliey 
came near to Frickett's fort. There they l)ou.nd INIrs. ^lorgan to 
a luish and went in (juesl of a horse for her to ride, leaving her 
child with her. She succeeded in untying with her teeth, the 
Isands which confined her, and wandered the balance of the day 
and part of the next, before she came in sight of the fort, here 



10 

she w:is kinilly Iroatcd. and in a iV'-.v days srnt home.*' 

The vindk-tiveness of the Indians for the wliites and their 
especial hatred f(»r the Morgan family is cxhiltited in the faet 
that some of the men «i^oinii>- ont from Priekelt"s IVirt some sliort 
time after Mrs. Morijan's es(.-a[>e found at the spot where 
she had ln-eu left, a line mare stabbed to tlie heart. Exaspera- 
ted at tiu' escape of 3Irs Moroan, the savajres, had no doubt, 
vented their rauv on tlic animal whicli they had dcstiiu'd to bear 
liei" weiulit. 

This mui'dcr of David Moru'an's relatives was ranklinu" in his 
mini, when in the succeeding; year, his domicil Avas invaded, and 
the life of his children attempted to be taken l)^' stealth, and in 
coK! blood and naught, but his dauntless bravery and heroic 
lighting- saved them. His exasperation and th.e exasjieration of 
his friends deserve consideration in connection with the bai'- 
barous act of tanning the hides of the savages and making sad- 
dle seats, shot pouclies. etc., therefrom as a warning to the red 
savages. 

.Aiciti: Aiiorr the moi!(;.\ns. 

The chronicles of Border Warfare also record the following 
adventure of Levi 3Iorgan. who was a son of Zackwell 3If)ruan, 
Sr. 

"In 17n7 the Indians again visited the settlement on liuifalo 
and as Levi was engaged in skinning a wolf which he iiad just 
taken from his trap, he saw three uf th.em — one riding a horse 
which he knew, the other two walki:ig nep.r behind — coming to- 
Wiirds liim. On lii'^t luokim^ in the direction they were coming, 
he recogjiized tiie horse, and supposed the rider to l)e its f»wner 
— one ftf his near neighli(<rs. A second glance discovered tiie 
mistake, and seizing his gun he sprang behind a large lock — 
the Indians at the same instant taking sh.elter by the side of :i 
large tree. As soon as his l>ody was obscured frorii tiieir 
view, lie turned and seeing the Indians looking towards the oth- 
»*!• entl of the rocks as if exijecting him to make his appearajice 
there, he fired and one of them fell. Instantly he ha<l recourse t<i 
his i)owder liorn to reload, but wl.ile engaged in skinning the wolf, 
the stopper had fallen out and his powder w:is wasted. Hellien 
Hed and one of the savages took after him. For some time he 
held to his gun; but linding his pursuer sensibly gaining on 
him he dropped it under the hope that it would attract the at- 



It'litidll ol' the Il.ditiii. iiiul ;^i\ i' him :i I c-tiol' (.halKO to cscnijC 
The savay:e passed heedlessly \>\ it. 3Ioi-oan then threw his 
HJiot pouch and coat in the way to tempt the Indian to momen- 
tary delay. It win eiiually vain — his pursurer did not falter for 
an instant he now had reeourse to tmother expedient to save 
himself from captivity or death. Arriving at the summit of the 
hill up which he iuiil direited his steps, he halted: and as if 
some men were ipproaihing" from the other side, called aloud, 
'come on, come on: here is one. make lia^te." Tlie Indian not 
douhtiug that he was really calling to Home men at hand turned 
and letreated as precipitately as he advanced: and wiien he 
heard Morgan e::clainu 'shoot (juick, or he will lie out of reach!' 
he seemed to ;edoul)le his exerti(m to gain that desirable dis- 
tinct'. Pleased witli the success of the artifice, Morgan hasten- 
ed home, le.-ning his coat and gun to reward the savage for the 
deception practiced ou him. 

"At tiic treaty of An Glaize. Morgan met with the Indian avIio 
had given him the chase, and who still had his gun. After talk- 
ing over the ciicumstance, rather moie ccuujiosedly than the\' 
acted it, they agreed to test each i>theis speed in a friendly- race. 
The Indian being beaten, ruV»bed his old hams and said 'stiti'. 
stitf: too old, too old,' Well said Morgan, -you got the gun 1>\ 
out running nie then, and I should have it now for out running 
you' and acconVingly took it."" 

Ill Aiuii of 1855 Joseph Powell published in the Americdn 
Union, a newspaper then pulilislu-il at ^Morganlown, an adven- 
ture f>f Levi and James ^Morgan, sons of Zackwell ^Morgan, Sr.. 
which deserves to be given in this connection, whether considi-r 
ed as truth or exaggeration. The incidents related aic of such 
thrilling character as to appear incredible, but whether literally 
true or t'xaggerated it has bei'U Ihiicc lold. It is proper lo 
Stat*.-, howi-ver. t hal the veracity of lioth Powell an<l ,Iame> 
Morgan are unimpt'arh;il>le. 'I'he great length of the nari-ative 
makes it neecessary to .miil iiiueh of it that is interesting, l>ut 
so far as space will permit the narative is given in the words of 
the original. James Morgan who, at the time the narrative was 
givi-n to Mr. Powi-U, was N(> years old. and was at the lime the 
adventure transpire<l only about ten years old ami his bj-other 
Levi was a youth of lifteen or sixteen. An unusually heavy fall 
o!" rain had swollen the sti'cams so as to maki- it both dangerous 
and dillicult to cross them, and the d;i\' was an exceedinii'h' wet 



MVid inclement one wlu-u Levi and .lanu-s, auainst tin- piMicst of 
tlu'ir latlRT, deU-rniint'd to visit their umlc David Morgan, tliiMi 
rc'sidinu' near Priekott's fort. Hnt wlicn tlu- i)roti'st of tlioii" 
fatlu'i' failoil to rhangi' Jlu' imi'ito.st' of tlu- ymilli lie di'tcrnnncd 
to atH'onipany tlu-ni as far as liootli's crci'lv. 

"On Kriday the '2'.l\{\ (of Oetolier. 177^1.) says liie naiiitive. "a 
liltU' Itefore five o'clock, we set out lea\ inu" the river on crossing 
Deekers creek, which was done in ii canoe, swimming a horse 
along side, passing over what was since Kern's farm, cros .ing 
('ol)un'a creek al)oiit two miles from its mouth, and continuing 
our course through the late Evan ilorgan farm; keeping the 
high gi'ound for two miles beyond this jmint. we ventured 
toward Booth's creek, which we crossed with mucli diHiculty 
ami danger on a drift dam tliat had completely slmi up the 
stream and was too muidi swollen to be liddeii. 

••Father had accompanied us over, gave us the direcliou of tlu' 
foi't — then near ten miles distant — in a straight line course. 
wiruli We could preserve could we readily cross White Day. 

••We Were now standing on the western Isank of Booth's creek: 
the atmosphere had become humid and chill since we crossed 
<'(»luin"s ereek and distant tiiundcr wunieil us (if the pi'obability 
of a wet day. and yet higher waters. 

•'We had not been standing here more than live or ten min- 
utes, receiving instructions, wlien father, casting his eyes across 
the stream in the direction of the horse, exclaimed: 'By 
gracious there's an Indian I' He was standing by the horse 
next the cri'ek. 

••We all saw him in an instant, when Levi leveled his gun to 
shoot, l»ut father restrained him, saying, 'wait till we see if there 
are others. 

"He looked directly across the creek, but we were concealed 
from his view l»y the clustering hazel and willow bushes that 
skirtt'd the sIkuc of the little stream of the wilderness. At 
length he came cautiously to the edge of the drilY in seaieh of 
tracks, but our moccasins, being clean from walking on the 
leaves, had ii'ft not a mark visible to his keen eye. He, aftei- a 
few moments reconnoitering. returned to the horse, jiassing 
within ti'U feet of fatlu'r's gun. which stood at the root of a tn-e. 
an<l coiiiiiieneed taking oil" the sa<ldle. Fatlu'r lirt'd my rille. 
aimed at his head liarely. in order to save the horse, oidy. how 
ever, sadly discomliting his gaudy head-dress. He was instant- 



78 

Jy JiI)out I'iwo, Imt with this position Levi's jiuii eini-lii'rl. wlien 
the Indinii spranir for the eivek, l>ut fell at its edge amonj; the 
btislics and drift and lay inr)tionless. his head and shoulders 
under tiie wati-r. 

"To render father's position more awkward or at least un- 
pleasant, at this particular juncture, his horse took friuht and 
liroke for honie lie well knew that a |)erfect state of alaiiii and 
confusion would reign in the family donncile shouhl the horse 
arrive lirst. and fearino; to recross the dam. we all set olf down 
the stream in search of a crossing for father, liut went t<i the 
mouth without an opportunity offering. 

••lie here told us to go forth on our journey, stating that lie 
would withe some logs together and run down the river home, 
only al»out three miles, 3'ou know. But we could nf»t think f)f 
hviving him without a gun. and set alxttit constructing his raft, 
which was the work of Irut a few minutes. I i-utting and trim- 
ming the withes. He intended to keep the centre of the river, 
an easy task when rising, as every tloating substance tends to 
that piiiiU. 

-In a few moments he set sail on his rude craft, ilriving out 
into the Mouongahela with Booth's creek's current with the 
rapi<lity of a maddened steed, and was (-arricfl with feari'ul foi-«'e 
down toward home. But fearing the ritle of a straggling Indian 
on the northwestern shore, he struck a stroke or so with his 
IKile wliich dri'W liim from the draught of the current nearer the 
eastern shore, on to which he run at the mouth of Cobun's 
creek, wrecking his raft, while repairing it he heard a turkey 
gol)ble several times, and, on setting out again, hugged the 
shore closely in order to make the mouth of Decker's creek, at 
home. But just above, at the 'carved or chartered rocks," the 
old turkey gobbler saluted his raft with an ounce shot, which 
struck about three inches from his left heel in the dry chestnut 
log on which he was standing. The providential act of his pol- 
ing to the eastern shore undoubtedly saved his life, for had he 
made for tlie other the very Indian who aped the turkey would 
have shot him. ami you sec he barely escajjed as it was. 

"But the horse ran up to the door, snorting, champing his bit 
and covered with blood and foam two hours before father arriv- 
ed. The saddle was removed, when an •>uncc ball was observed 
protruding from the skin and tiesh, just back of the shoulder, 
having pas-sed, as they reasonably supposed, through the rider's 



70 

thiuiu bi(':ikiim' it nn;! tlisalilin^' liiin in such a manner as to 
render his laptivity and death certain. 

"The wild itv lirokc from every loiiLriU' on the i;roiind that 
Moi-uan and two of liis sons had 1)een Ivilled hy Indians that 
nioininu" a lew mile;? ahovo. All the force of the place was ini- 
mediately in arms —sonic fifteen or twenty nien — v.ho rvpaii'cd 
at once to the month of Decker's creek to cross, luit the canoe 
was on the opixtsite side. This, however. v,as a small ohstacU' 
to the expetiition. as one Joe Speight, a Dutchman, who had no 
gun. immediately volunteered to swim for it. while they shoidd 
cover his coolness with their deadly rifles. Ho had about ivacli- 
ed the craft, when father ilrifted ai-ound the poijit into the 
mouth of the creek, and was hailed hy some one of tlie crowd as 
to what was the matter. 

'••All is well,' he said, which ran through the eager crowd like 
an electric shock, quieting at once their fears and wailing; hut 
immediately succeeded such a wild shout of joy that poor 
Si)eight. ignorant of all that had passed, mistook it for a genuine 
Indian attack, whicli impression so affected his nerves, that he 
could not loosen the craft, and. standing on the shore, commenc- 
ed wringing his hands and screaming in the wildest manner: 

••'Oh, mine GhotI Oh, mine Ix)rdt I Oh, Shesus GhristI Oh I 
oh I oh I Shute 'em I Shute'emI Shake .Speller, vill you shnte 
nol)ody for me?" 

"At this crises in Speight's affairs some one for misciiief fired 
off his gun. and, father stepping up in his reai\ who Speight per- 
ceived tiirough the l:)ushes though failed to recognize him, he 
sprang into the creek with a frantic scream which eclipsed all 
his former effoits. if possible, and in a dozen strokes stru<k the 
opposite shore, wiiere he was hailed witli the wildest expressions 
of joy and meniment. though somewhat c(unmingled with sor 
80 w for his severe fright. 

••Father, descending the liank, got into the. canoe and paddled 
ovei'. when he so(»n explained matters in connection with his de- 
tention, etc. 

••He and four f)thers swam their horses over the creek alioul 

noon and rode to the scene of the drift-dam, l)ut on reaching 
which, his hor.se refused to be urged to the si>ot. Halting with- 
in a hundred yards or so of it, they alighted, and hitching their 
animals, walked down. There lay the lirawuy son (»f the forest 
just as we had left him in the morning, and father s gun stand- 
ing at the root of the tree, while the Indian's lay near where lie 



so 

attempted t.) uiisaddU' ('harlev. prepnratorv to a ride as was 
supposed. lie must have thought the horse without an owner 
near at hand so early in the morning, as he was standing un- 
hitehed; liut the great wonder is that he suffered the Indian to 
approach him at all without giving us some signs of alarm at 
the presence of the red stranger. 

"Had the Indian come along a few moments sooner, while we 
were yet on the di'ift. and discovered father's gun. he might 
have killed or caused the drowning of all of us. lint it does 
now really seem to me that Providence ever threw in the scale 
of fate chances favorable to the whites. 

"Dragging" the savage from the watei", his feathered cap was 
seen to have l)een cut by the bullet from my father's gun close 
down in the hair, a lock of which was clipped off". He had an 
elegant gun. considerable ammunition, tomahawk and scalping 
knife, and between forty and fifty dollars in gold and silver, 
which fell to Levi, according to the customs of the times, and 
which lie divided with his fatlier. The Indian had also in IiIn 
possession two sealps not vet dry — one from the head of a male, 
the other from a female, as determined by Uie length ol' the hair. 
The l)ody was concealed beneath the diift and branches of un- 
dergrowth at the edge of the water, out of the reach of wild 
beasts, this l)eing the most honorable rite of sepulture they 
could perform under the circumstances. 

"As soon as father set sail from the mouth of the creek, we 
turned towai'd our destined point, it being now about 10 o'clock 
or thereabouts. Levi led the way straight up to tlie point at 
which he had killed the Indian, though keeping a littU' faither 
from the stream than we had in descending. 

"We thi'u left the creek, bearing slightly to the right, passing- 
through what is now the Holland settlement, kei'i)ing, as it 
turned out to be, a good direction for White Day. 

"The point at which we struck this stream was just lielow 
where the old Fast mill now stands. Finding no j)lace at which 
to cross, v/e commenced a descent in search of a fording place. 
We had reached the site of Smithtown. The creek was higli 
and rising, and grew visibly wider as we descended, so much so 
that we began to desi)air of making the opposite shore very soon 
or easil}'. But just now, as we continued, as though to heighten 
the perturbed state of our minds, we came abruptly upon the 
dead body of a white man, who had been shot through with a 



81 

ball and scalped. The liody as yet exhil)ite(l n<t siiiiis tif i)utre- 
faetioii. It had appaieutly lieeu just exhumed lVf)iii its I'ude 
restini:' })laee by some earuiverous animal that had feasted on 
the entrails of the unconscious victim to savage ferocity, and 
was no doubt still lurking in the dense chaparrel adjacent, that 
when the sun should have sunk behind the western hills he and 
his kindred might return and complete tlie destruction of the 
body in a hideous nocturnal carnival. 

This was about half wav between the towering cliffs of 
i-ocks at Sjnithtown and those below." 

Here ^Nlr. PowelFs narrative at some length describes several 
unsuccessful attempts at crossing the swollen creek when at 
length the}- reached a spot where a huge pine tree had fallen 
"from high above on the opposite shore." Into the top of this 
Levi waded waist deep in water and commenced hacking the 
branches with a tomahawk when the sharp report of a rifle sa- 
luted their ears and a "whizzing bullet cut off' a sourwood 
branch" within two inches of James' head. Directions were 
liastil}- given b\' Levi to James as to what he should do in case 
it became necessary for him to save himself by flight alone. 
James was stationed behind the friendly shelter of an overgrown 
oak, and Levi was likewise in ambush, and the}' discussed coolly 
their reluctance at shooting the Indian from his position over- 
hanging the raging torrent, as thereby they wovdd lose his 
scalp, his gun. etc. But it was decided to "shoot him down and 
let him go." 

"James raised his gun to the side of the tree" (so says the 
narrative J "drew a deadly aim on his broad back, and pulled the 
trigger, when the rifle burnt her priming. The Indian certainly 
could not have heard the flash, but somehow at that instant he 
turned right facing us, when Levi fired, exclaiming: 'Blamed if 
my gun misses going ofl' or her bullet its aim!' The victimized 
wai'rior gave a shrill whoop that rang out in its lierceness ovei" 
the din of the misting rain as it pattered froiii leaf to leaf in its 
steady descent in the forest, and the roaring of the turbulent 
stream beneath him, and. elevating his nol)le form, decorated in 
its native grandeur, tossed his gun from him ami fell in the o))- 
posite direction and was seen no more." 

"A number of years after this event .John Bunner found a 
uiin barrel in tlie l)ed (if the stream a few rods below this spot." 

=h -.-.• * '!: -k =h * * * 



Aeconling to Mr. Powcirs iiaiiative the two brotluTs then, 
througli rain anil fioods, ami after totally destroying their pow- 
der by getting it wet and rendering their guns useless to thein. 
succeeded in reaching the nioutli of White Day. and as they 
stood there admiring the waters breaking against the roeks, at 
their feet, they espied a canoe coming down tiie liver. It con- 
tained three tawny savages and two white women and a child. 
They entered the mouth of the creek and landed on the oppo- 
site side from the boys, wIumc they were Joined l>y another sav- 
age. After reconnoitering in uncomfortably- elo^^e i)roximity to 
them the savages re-embarked with their captives ami again 
landed lower down the river, where they went into eamj) under- 
neath some huge over-hanging rocks. IJi-re the unfortunate 
cai)tives were grossly maltreated and abused, and the innoeent 
babe was strangled in the water and its dead body cast down at 
the mother's side, but between midnight and daybreak the ledge 
of rocks above them fell and buried alike the captors and cap- 
tives. When the adventurers next morning explored the scene 
— "Not a human form was visil>le — not a vestige of life. God 
had spoken in silent, yet comi)rehensive voice to the mute hill 
and it obeyed liim." 

A ilKKOIXl-: ox I)IMvAl;i>. 

The alarm which iiad caused David Morgan and his neigh- 
bors to remove into Priekett's Fort in the spring of 177!) bn- 
safety had induced some two or three families residing on Dunk- 
ard Creek to collect at the house (»f a family named Ilozaith 
they thinking tiiat they would be U'ss exjjosed to danger if col- 
lected together in one place than if scattered throughout the 
neighborhood. At this house a small company of Indians, the 
comrailes no iloubt of those killed l)y David .Morgan appean-d, 
and a tragedy was there enacted which if not just local to .Alor- 
gantown deserves to be related here because it presents one of 
tlie most remarkable instances on record of lemali' bravery and 
deliberate coolness. Supposing these to Ik- a pnit of the sann' 
comi)any of Indians, two of whom wei'e killed by David Morgan, 
tlu'ir ill fate was mctst singular and makes this not only a 
thrice-told tale of Morgantown. luit one of uiorc than ordinary 
interest. 

It is recoi'ded in the Holder Warfan- thus: 

••Abo\it the first of Ai>i'il (177!»)- "hen only ;M rs. Txtzarth and 
two men were in the house, the children, who had been out at 



83 

play. cMiiit' ruiiniii:.: iut(» tin- yunl i-xclaiminii'. "Tlieiv- arc ujily 
ivd nun loiniual" Tpon heaiiiiy this, one of the two men in 
the honse. ir<»in<i- to the door to see if Indians really were a[i 
proaehinn'. received a ulaurinu' shot on his ln'cast. wliicii caused 
him to fall hack. I'he Indian who had shot him spian;^ in im 
mediately after, and <irai);iHnu- with the othei- white man. was 
(|iiickl\ thrown on the IkmI. His autagouist, having no weapon 
witii which to do him injury, called to Mrs. Bozarth tVu- a knife. 
Not having one at hand she seized an axe. and at one l»low let 
ftut the hrains ol' the |)rostrate savage. At that instant a sec- 
ond Indian, entering the door shot dead tlu' Juan engaged with 
his companion on the bed. Mrs. Bozarth turned on him. and 
witli a well ilirected blow, let out his entrails and caused him to 
bawl out for help. I'pon this, others of the ])arty. who had 
been engaged with the children in the yard, came to his relief. 
The tirst who thrust his head in at the door had it cleft by the 
a.xe of Mrs. Bozarth and fell lifeless on the grf)und. Another 
catching hold of his woun<led. bawling comi)anion, drew him out 
of the house, when Mrs. Bozarth with the aid of the white man. 
wh(» had been lirst shot, and was then somewhat recovered, sue 
ceciled in closing and making fast the door. 'J'hc children in 
the yard were all killed, but the heroism and exertions of !Mi-s. 
Bozarth and the wounded white man enabled them to lesist the 
repeated attempts of the Indians to force open the; door, and to 
maintain })ossession of the house until they were relieved by a 
party from the neighboring settlement. The time occupied in 
this bloody ati'air, fiom the first alarm by the children to tin- 
shutting of the door, did not exceed three minutes. And in this 
brief space Mrs. Bozarth with infinite self-po.ssession. coolness 
;inil iutr('pidit\' succec(h'd in killing three Indians. 

■r.M.KS Ol AN oi.O rriNKlJ.VNT. 

The He\. Henry Smith, a ministei- of the .M. K. ( hurch 
preached in M(M"gantown in 1 7'.).") before there were any iiouses of 
worship built in the town, when in fact thei-e was only (»ne, half 
finished log meeting house in his circuit, the circuit was called 
("larksburg circuit, on the Monongahela, and it began at .Mar 
tin's meeting house and extended up as high as Buckhannon. 
There can be no doubt of the trutli of the stati'im-nt made by 
Ml-. Smith, that he "labored hard and sullered not a little." 
.Vnd for support he says he "did not get the half of sixty-four 
dollars." In his Bci-ollections of an Old Itinerant he slates that 



84 

\iv was in .Moiuaiituw ii on < lirist mas K\c wlicii ( .aptaiii .Muriian 
having" •■cMtllwtod a small company of darinu' spiiits like liim- 
Bfif went out on an hulian hunt and having cidssiHl the Ohio 
river came to an Indian eamp wiieie were seven Indians — two men. 
three squaws and two e!iildii-n. and they shot llie ini-n and 
lirought in the women and ehildren jiriKoners. 'J'he good old 
picaeher says: '"l saw them when they eame and went to the 
house tin- next day to see them and my heart yearned over them 
when 1 looked ui)()n an old mother and two daughters and two 
interesting grand ehildren a lioy and a girl." In tiiis old Itin- 
erant's ReL'olleetions we find the following '"joke:" "A few years 
liefitri' this ^lorgantown was alarmed l)y a report that Indian 
signs were si-en in the neighborhood. A small company was 
sent out as spies to ascertain the certainty of it. Among the 
rest was an Irishman. Happily they found the rejjort ground- 
less, ami retuiiicfl to town. l>ut 1)V the way some wished to 
have a little fun with the Irishman; hence tliey divided, under 
pretense of making further observations. One party ran ahead 
and concealed themselves; and when the Irishman's i)arty came 
up. thev shot ofi' their guns, and every man fell but the Irish- 
man. He took to his heels and ran for his life about five miles 
to Morgantowu. His report exeited a dreadful alarm through 
the town, lirothev (ieorge ( annon, one of the preachers, ha[)- 
pened to be there. He I'an to the stable, got his horse, and 
pushed <»tl' in all haste for rniont(»wn: but had not pi'oceeded 
far before he found out that he had left his saddle-bags. He re- 
turned to get them; but when he got close to town the men 
lauie in. for they pui'sued their Irish friend as fast as they 
could, and a lew guns weic fired. :nid the people were soon re- 
lieved. r>ut poor ( aiiuoii heanl the guns and thought the 
Indians were ai't ualh' in town: ami wheeled about and m;idc 
the best of his way to rnionlowu."" •'All this" ol)serves the 
the piourer pre;i(liei'. "'was sport for t he b;ick Woods boys; but 
the pool- lrishni:iii and the Methodist pi'eacliei- did not enjoy it 
at all." 

(■()|.om:i. m'ci.kaiiv. 

One of t 111' early settlers of .Morgantowu was ( olonel William 
McCleary. lie built and occupied the house still standing' at 
the southwest (.-orner of High and i'le.asant streets, aftei'wards 
owned and occujtied l»y his nephew .Matthew (Jay, Ksip He 
was a re\H'Uue Collei-lor during tlii' ;idminist ration of General 



85 

"Waslnnuton and was also Deputy District Attorno}' General in 
Mrginia. lie was undoulttedly a (olleetor of Revenue lV»i- the 
Governinciit. and located in Morgantown at the date of tin- 
diflieulty in Western Pennsylvania known as the Whiskey In- 
surrection. Jt is a matter of history that this disturbance 
spread into the Itordci* tounties of A'irginia and that tlie disaf- 
fection extended into ^Monongalia County. On the night of 
August !), 1704, it is related that about thirty men Idacked 
themselves, and in disguise came to Morgantown, surrounded 
the house of the Revenue ( 'ollector, and with riotous dcmonsti"a- 
tions threatened his life and |)ropi'rty. The otiicer escaitcd l>y 
flight and I)y advertising that he had resigned, the nioli weii- 
induced to go otf peaceably. At another time the Insurrection- 
ists assembled in the town to promulgate their ideas, and the 
i-itizens arose and di-ove them out of the town. 

Tiadition says that on one occasion there was a meeting of 
the Wliisky Insurrectionists in the southern borders of Fayette 
citunty. Reiiua.. where a "Liberty Pole"' and flag were raised by 
them, and that ( "ol. ^IcCleary being present spoke plainly to 
them as was his habit. The whisky men became enraged at 
him and with force and violence took liim and made him march 
around their pole and some say made him kiss their flag. 

Col. McCleary's first wife was Miss Isal)ella Stockton of the 
county of Berkeley, and connected with her history is the fol- 
lowing bit of romance: When Isabella Stockton was quite a 
clnld she was taken by the Indians and carried into captivity. 
She was kept liy the savages for a time and was then ransomed 
by a wealthy French Canadian and was educated in Canada at a 
Catholic school. Here siie matuicd into a beautiful and acconi- 
l)lished \i»ung wonu'U and her elianus won the atleetious of her 
(anadian liencfactor. who it seems was young an<l liandsomc, as 
well as rich. She recii)roc-ated his love and |)lighted her faith 
before I'l'turning to her N'irginia homi' to ask the assent of hei- 
l)arents to their marriage. In l>eikeley county a \'irginia l)eau 
Iiecamc distractedly in love with liei'. but siie was true to her 
lirst love and rejected his suit. She failed to obtain the consent 
of iier i)arents to her marriage witli tiie Ficncii (anadian because 
of tiie hatred of \'ii-ginians at that time against the French. 

lint w»'d her FiH'Ucli lover, slic would. He came and taking 
her from her fair N'irginia lutme by stealtii. tiiey set out ui.on 
their journey tlirough the wilderness with bu(»yant hopes and 



iiuiiaiit ic Miilicipalioiis of a inarriauv antl coiiiiiiiul hapitiiK'SS 
.Miiii'l tiif sct'iU'S <»r tliL'ii' voutliful c-oui'tshii). 

Hut triH' lovf sc'ldoin runs smooth. Tlie lilo(»(l of her ri'lalivcs 
lioik'fl over at the idea of her alliam-e with a Freiu-h Canadian 
:.nd the \'iruinia lovi-r was retidy to |iursue Ills hated rival. The 
eoinniand of tlie father was to lirin;^' hack tlie (hiuiihtcr (U'ad or 
alive. 

The lovers had reaehed the hanks of the Sustiuehanna river 
where they went into cam)). ex|)eetin<i to si)end the nijiht and re- 
sunie their journey next day. when their pursuers eanie upon 
them. The devoted lovers refused to be separated and her re- 
jeeted Virginia heau. wantinii' hut the opi)ortunity to wreak his 
veno'eanee leveled his jjieee. and in tin- presence of tlu' dexoti'd 
Isabella, shot the Frenehnian down. 

Isabella Stoekton returned in st>rrow to hi-r lioinc in ^'irliinia. 
where, after a term of mourning', she was W(tot'd and won by 
Col. MeClearv and brought to ^lorgantown. Here she lived, 
until the day of her death, in the house in whieh the wiiter to- 
day sits. 

("ol. MeClearv married again and lived tt) the ripe old age 
of eighty, and died in the same house in 1S21. It would be 
stran'^' if llie manes of so pi-omiiient a person as Col. ]Mr( leary 
should not reappear after his dissolution. His ghost was known 
to walk with silent tread from cellar to garrett and to sit spec- 
tre like in the ehambers of his late residence to the great con- 
sternation of the old negro servants who survived him. On the 
corner of High and Pleasant streets stands om- of \hv haunted 
houses of Morgantown. luil "sijiritual manifestation.s" in these 
degenerate days have l)ecome less freiiuent and Col. .MrCleai'v"s 
ghost is well nigh forgotten. 

Tin: .MAltCIlloNKSS Di; SAN l.'O.MAX. 

Manv vears ago .lames Hobb. a twelve yeai'old boy. who play- 
ed on the streets ot" Wayneslmrg in lVnn.sylvania. ])acked his 
elothes in a lunnlle. tiirew the bundle across his shoulder and 
started afoot for Wheeling. W. N'a.. where he renuiined with his 
unch' until he grew to manhood. When about twenty-one years 
of au'i' hecaiiu'ti) .Aloigantown anil Ix'i-ame cashier of the Mer- 
ehants and Mechanics Uank. He mariieil .AHss L<uiisa Wern- 
inuer. daughtei- of one of .Morgantown"s nu-rchants and resided 
in :'. house whit-h stood where Thos. R. Evans* residence now 
stands, at llie noitli cast coiiier of Spruce and North Boundary 



87 

stivets. In tills lidiise was lidni tn .laiiu's and Louisa Iv<tl)l». a 
(lauijhtt'r. wiioni tliev named IsiibcUa. In lionor of Mrs. Isal)ellu 
RoiJ:;ers. wltV' ufJolin Roi^ors, Estj.. an old resident of the town 
and an intimate I'riend of iier father. Sul)se(inently iMr. Kolili 
removed with his family to Xew Orleans where he amassed a 
very largfe fortune in his lousiness of banking. Here he attract- 
ed the attention of Isabella II. (^ueen of Spain, and with her he 
formed a |)artners]ii|) and purchased the Havana Gas-works in 
( iiba. The venture proved a lucky one and not only increased 
his wealth but brought him into high favor with the Queen. 
During the period of these operations !Mr. Kobb having occasion 
to visit Spain was accompanied In' his daughter. Isabella, then 
a charming biunette of about eight :en. At the Court of Mad- 
rid and in the train of the gay Isabella at that time was a Span- 
ish Nobleman, a cousin of the C^ueen, the ^Iar(niis de San Ro 
man, who fell in love with Isabella Robb. 

Miss Isabella Robb had no royal l)lood in her veins, 
l>ut her father was rich and had the favor of the C^ueen 
and so all obstacles were removed. The Queen's consent was 
freely given and Miss Isabella Robl) became the Marchioness 
de San Roman and cousin by marriage to the (^ueen of Spain. 
The nuptials were celebrated at the Tuileries in Paris, in the 
year 1857, the Emi)ress Eugenie being present at the wedding. 
Only a year or two after her marriage Madame San Roman then 
in the zenith of hei- prosperity, visited Morgantown and the 
scenes of her childhood in comi)any with one or two of her sis- 
ters, the INIisses Robb. They were the guests of Mrs. Isabella 
Rogers antl their visit will be remembered by many ]>ersons still 
living in the town. 

The artairs of (^ueen Isabella, however, did not continue t<t 
prosper. Her licentiousness became the subject of common 
talk, and her exchequer became weakened by ill-advised enter- 
prise's. In lsGr» her ^Ministers resigned, and finally in 18G8 a 
revolution broki' out which ended in the forraatiou of a repuVtli- 
• •an provisional government, and the tlight of the Queen to France. 
The .Marchionness de San Roman stood by the unfortunate Isa- 
Itella. ami for several years they reside*! in Paris. They wi-re 
with the deposed Queen in Paris in 1871(, when news of ^Ir. 
Robb's serifius ilhu'ss reached the .Marchioness, and as theie 
were at that tinu' sonic marital disagreement between her and 
tilt' .AIar(|uis. it w:,s Imtli dutiful and convenient for hei" to re 



88 

turn to her father in Anu'iit-a. She went to him at < ln-viot. a 
suburb of ( "inrinnati. and nursed him in his last illness, and 
Ihcn lived in dinnifu'd but lonely retirement till the d:iy <tf liei- 
death. 

On the l;{tli (\t\y (>{' Oetobei'. in this present year, in a suimU 
chapel at Sprinii' ( Ji'ove. in the vieinity of Cineinnati, the Holy 
Koinan Catholie burial rites were eelebrated over the mortal i"e- 
ni:iins of Madame Isaliella San Roman, a Spanish Marehirmess, 
who was born some forty-five or fifty years ago in Morgantown. 

An exquisite {portrait of the Mandiioness. done in oil by ;i 
skillful artist. Iiuno- in the drawing room of ^Ir. Rf)gers at the 
date of that gentleman's death. It was a gift from his friend. 
]Mr. Ko1)l), and was mueh [)rized by the i»ossessor. The execu- 
tors of Mr. Rogers" will declined to sell the cli;irining pii-ture. 
though purehasers eould have been jjroeured at a hamlsome 
l)rice. It was given into the safe keeping of Judge Dille on his 
acquisition of the Rogers residence, and remained in his posses- 
sion until a recent date, when a relative of the Robbs asked for 
and received permission to take it away. 

THE EVANSES. 

Col. John flvans was one of the earliest settlers at Morgan- 
town. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Revolution. He 
seems to have come as early as the year 17()5. i>robably not mon- 
than seven or eight years after the Deckers, and was in the vi- 
cinity when the Morgans came. He was the father of Captain 
Jfdin Evans, called "Captain Jack." and Captain John was the 
fathei' of ( "ol. James I-Cvans who is still living in .Morg:intonn. 
( 'ol. J;inies i-elates that he has heard his t'atliei- tell that, when 
he way a l)oy of some eight or ten years, there was an alaim on 
account of Indians prowling in the neighboihood. and that his 
f.'ither was sent to the Held ol" a neighlior living on the f;irni just 
west of the Kvans ])lantation to bring in the neighbor's horse, 
and stop))ing at a log-heap to roast some eggs, which he liad 
found on the neighbor's premises, he narrowly escaped being 
taken by the Indians. The horse for wliieh he had lieen sent 
was taken and a prisoner, named Walls, being tied on its back, 
it was made to swim the rivei- :it where ( Jranville now is, the 
river being much swollen by rains, ^\';^lls afterward returned 
from captivity and made the hair stand on '"Jack's" head liy tell 
ing him how the Indians were on his tiack thnt d:iy. and how 
nearly they came to getting him. 

('ol. John Evans was clerk of the lii-sl cmnt held in .Monon 



89 

ijalia county, :uitl tlic rlt-rk's oIlU-o was kept at his house on the 
Evans farm, some two or two and a half miles north of Moi'tiau- 
town. That lionse is still standintr. Tn its day it was finite an 
aristocratie mansion, for it was for a time the only house in the 
eounty built of hewn logs, weather-boarded and coviTed with 
shingles. The weather-ltoards were made from straight oak 
timber, split with a froe, and shaven with a drawing knife. 
The floor and windows are of pine, and although the}' have been 
in the liouse over an hundred years, they are still in a good 
state of preservation. 

In 1784 General George "Washington, '-the father of our coun- 
try," was the guest of Col. John Evans, and slept over night in 
this house; on which account Col. James Evans, the grandson, 
has always lield the old mansion as a sacred place, and has 
kept it somewhat in repair, in order to preserve it. 

It is related that Col. John Evans in his official capacity 
would sometimes have large sums of money to transmit to or 
from Kichmond, and as there were no banks here then, and no 
paper currency, these sums had to be carried in gold and silver 
b}- him. riding on horseback. And as the road which he had to 
travel was lonely and lieset with dangers he was in the habit of 
employing one or two men to go with him as guards to secure 
the safety of himself and the money. On one occasion he with 
"Mod" Morgan, and another person as guards, while making the 
trip to Richmond, stopped at a hotel in Eastern Virginia, where 
there was more of style and less of the substantial than the 3Ior- 
gantown backwoodsmen were accustomed to. The landlady pre- 
ysided at the meal time cum dignitate and dispensed a beverage 
of doubtful comjK)sition which she called cotfee. The company 
were eating in silence when one of the Colonel's body guards re- 
marked to the other, "Mod," I'll liet a dollar you don't know 
whether you are drinking tea or coifee. "No," replied "Mod," 
"I wouldn't bet on that, but whatever it is, I'll bet b}- G — d, as 
long as the si)ring holds out '-^ can be made." Speaking of the 
Evans place we are reminded of a glutst story which may as well 
be related here: 

At an early day the road leading down the Monongahela 
river was the one traveled by the Evans family, going to and 
from 3Iorgantown. This road crossed Falling Run at its mouth, 
and in the deep holk>w above, now within the University grounds, 
in the olden time it is said dwelt the ghost of a murdered man. 
Here the murder had occurred and the shade of the murdt'i-ed 



00 

man was wont to visit hy niulit the .sitot wliere death freed it 
IVoni its mortal clay. Col. James Evan.s relates that three and 
a half seore years ago, when he was a child, dnriug his visits to 
tlie negro (jnai'ters at the old plantation, his hair has been made 
to rise U[»on his head and stand "like the (juills on the fretful 
[)orcupine," as he listened to giiost stories told l»y the negroes, 
and esjjecially that one that related to tlie muidered man at the 
mouth of Falling Ivun. The old negroes who related the story 
no doubt lirndy believed they were telling the truth when they 
told how the murdered man appeared in the shape of a white 
goose and stood s[)ettrc like before the wayfarer or tlap|)ed his 
airy wings in front and on cither side or about his legs, until the 
haunted ground was passed, and then would disai)i)ear in a 
most mysterious manner. 

Its recital had a blood curdling intlucncc, and none of the col- 
ored people could be induced for any consideration to pass thi.s 
haunted spot after sundown. And the Colonel admits that in 
his youthful days, he has himself, had slight apprehensions 
while passing there on a dark night. 

COIXTV COUKTS. 

Although by the burning of the courthouse at Morgantown in 
179G the records were destroyed, no doubt the iirstcourt of record 
held in the county, was a County Court, and Col. John P^vans its 
clerk. ^I'he County Court has always been an "Institution" in Vir- 
ginia. It has always had persons to depreciate it. It has l>eeu 
ridicided. laughed at and sometimes slandered; Itut it has lived, 
and exists in a modified form in West \'irginia to-day. For the 
trial of civil causes, being constituted with three justices of the 
peace, who wei-e unlearned in the law and often eccentric in man- 
ners, it was the butt of a good deal of humor. On account of its 
triple formation it has lieen likened unto a grain of buckwheat, 
and thcrefoi-e calli'd the "IJui'kwlieat ('ourt." It has been call- 
ed the "Corncob Court," Itut for w^iat reason I know not. When 
three justices, one of whom was President, worked side by side 
on the bench, one can easily see how it was suggested to call 
them "two mulc!^ and a jackass." Hut notwithstanding all this, 
by their sterling ciualities of heart and head, honesty and hard 
sense, the old time justices were generally brought to correct 
conclusions, so that it was not a bad court, and suited a sparely 
settled country. 

]Man\' aiiuisinu' tiiinus aie related to have occurred in the 



01 

County Court. It is said that <>n cru- occasion the County 
Court was in session with "Squire AV . a worthy and prom- 
inent citizen of Morgantown, presiding-. The clerk had I'urnish- 
ed the court with a docket made out in tlie usual form. In the 
first and second columns of the docket were the names of plain - 
tifts and defendants, and opposite in the third column was a 
memorandum of the last order entered in each cause. In a large 
number of State's causes the last order was one directing a sec- 
ond or another summons to issue against the several defendants, 
and opposite each of these causes was the clerk's memorandum 
in these words, alias sumvious, which, of course, meant tliat an- 
f»ther summons was ordered. The President of the court, with 
his accustomed gravity, took his seat and commenced exercising 
his legal talents on the docket. Scanning the column in wliich 
appeared on almost every line alias nuvimons, he turned to the 
clerk and said. "Mr. Clerk, who is this Elias Simeons, he seems 
to have a gi-eat many cases in this courf?"' The clerk explained 
and members of the bar smiled. 

The late Guy R. C. Allen was one of :Morgantown's most gifted 
lawyers. He would wade through the intricacies of the law be- 
fore the County Court in such manner as sometimes to dumb- 
found the old Justices. In a hard case perhaps it was politic to 
use technical terms and words in elucidating his propositions. 
On one occasion Mr. Allen was addressing the court, when the 
presiding Justice, a worthy citizen of the county, whose name 
is not given, stopped him thus: "Mr. Allen, if you desire this 
court to understand your argument, you must not use so many 
(ich nich ic als' (technicals). ^Mr. Allen did not smile, but 
watching to catch the attention of all the members of the bar 
l)resent, he placed his hand funnel-like to his ear as if to aid 
his accoustic powers, and said, "What did I understand the 
Court to say?" The Court then in the hearing of all reiterated. 
"I observed that if you wished this Court to understand your 
argument you must not use so many tick nich ic als — this Court 
cannot understand your tick nich ic al (technical) terms." ^Ir. 
Allen politely bowed to the Court, and said. "I will try and ex- 
plain in terms that can be understood." 

Hon. W. T. Willey was perhaps the most etfective speaker at 
the Morgantown Bar. His great earnestness, combined with 
his eloquence and logic, made him almost irresistiVile. It is re- 
l.'ited (if .Mr. Willev that lie was onee pleading the cause of a 



92 

criminal hoforc the County ('(dirt, f>n which sat 'Sfiuiro K , 

one of those riiy:ge»l siieeiniens of okl-tinie magistrates, who. with 
his rough exterior, e(»ueealetl a heart full of generous emotions, 
and snsi-('iitil»le to the touch n\' chxjnt'nce. After analyzing all 
the evi(U'n(e in the eause. mikI demonstrating the imiiossihilitv 
of his client's guilt, he was jiroceeding to close with an appeal. 

Looking "Scpiiie K sipiarely in the eye, and after a hurst ol' 

elociuenc-e and with all his earnestness Mr. Willey repeated once 
or twici'. •■fluilty? Do you lielii-ve it? Do you In-liexe ifr" 

'Scjuiri' K turned away, shook his head as he wiped tin- 

tears fr<»m his eyes, and said in an audihle voice, "No; I'll he 
d— d if I do!" 

A piisoiu-r was once put upon trial in the County (durt for 
stealing apple butter. 'S(iuire K was on the ( ourt presid- 
ing. The [)ris()nci' had relatives of inllucnt'e and sufficient es- 
tate to enahle him to make a strong and successful defense. 
Owing, no doubt, to the ingenuity of counsel, the jury weie in- 
duced tr> hring in a verdict lor aiipiittal. The verdict was road 
and the President of the Court commanded the prisonei- to stand 
up. Said he, "Young man, it is my duly to discharge you be- 
cause the Jury have found you not guilty; but I'll be d — d if you 
didn't steal that api)le butter, and well you kn(»w it." 

Hon. -lohn .1. Brown, in his Centennial oration, records as a 
matter of histoiy the following, which he says he has no doul»t 
occurred in the County Court. "In a cause pentling in that 
Court, it iK'came necessary to prove some facts pertinent to the 
issue, of a very ant-icnt date. Thi'se facts were ascertained to be 
known liy a very old huh', a citizen of the county, and who not- 
withstanding her extreme age and consecpient infirmities was 
in attendance as a witness in the case. A trial was urged and 
obtaini'(l by the counsel of the party who desired the benefd of 
her testimony, on the giound of her age and inlirmity and that 
she was now presi-nt, and il' the trial was postponed the proba- 
bility was she would not be living at the next term ()f the couit. 

The counsel foi- the plaintitf (for it was he wh(» inti'oduced 
her) sought to impress the court and jury that her testimon\ 
was entitled to great weight and consideration on account of hei' 
extri-me age. and liccause in her childhood she was personalh' 
cognizant of the facts sought to be jjroven. His cold, keen 
eyes Ihished with momentary triumph when he inquired of the 
witness when she w;is born, and her rc[>ly was. "I do not know."' 



93 

Changing the form of his inquirv he next asked her how old she 
was, to whieh (question lu* olitained the same rei)ly. By this 
time he realized the faet that his witness was no post deluvian 
and his eye kindled with unwonted lustre when again he modi 
fied the form of his inquiry and suggested to the old lady that she 
might he assisted in tixing lici- piobalile age l)y refreshing her 
memory by reference to some eireumstanee or event which she 
could recall and which transpired in her early childhood, f<u" 
example her first visit to Morgantown. Foi' a moment the old 
lady 1»owed her head in deep thoivghtfulness, and then ausweretl. 
**I could not i)retend to give my age l»ut 1 am very certain that 
when I was a little girl and first visited 3Iorgantown there was 
no river there." The old lady was p(^)litely reijuested to stand 
asi(U' and tlu' eouusel si(b rasa told the Slu'ritl' to call a witness 
wlif> w;is Ixiin after the Hood."' 

.ruSTlCKS OF Till-; riCACE. 

The \'irginia justice of the peace has always been an im[)(u-- 
tant personage in his community. The Rev. Henr}* Smith, hi 
his Recollections, as far liack as 1795, partook of the hosi)itality 
of a Monongalia county justice of the peace. He says, "I be- 
lieve this man could read but not write; and yet he was a magis- 
trate and a i)atriarch in the settlement.*'' The magistrates were 
fdrmerly appointed 1)y the Governor and ( ouncil upon the recom- 
mendatit)n of the County Court; and being clothed with dignity 
by the ("omuKm wealth, that dignity had to be maintained. 
When he had mastered the formula of an oath he administered 
it with great solemnity and eclat, and the form was, in the olden 
time, longer and more ponderous in terms than now. An old 

Morgantown justice ('8(iuire K ) is said to have abbreviated 

the form on one occasion thus: "Do you solemnly swear before 
Almighty God — O, d — n it to h — 1 you know the rest — sd help 
you God." 

'Sipiire K was a man of integrity and honor, and prided 

himself on his just and equitabU' decisions. He did not believe 
in avoiding an honest debt by interposing the statute, and did 
not think it right to allow anyont' else to do so in his ctturt. A 
(b'fendant once appeannl before him and made a defence to an 
action that the account sued on was barred. "But," demanded 
the 'scpiire, "is it just?" "Well, yes;" was the reply, "it is just 
L-nough. but it is l)arred by the limitation." "Well, then."" said 
the "s<iiiire. "if il is just I will be d — d if I doiit render :i judg 



M 

raent against you. for you can't plead any of your d — d Umitash- 
inys in this court." 

It will be noticed from these anecdotes that 'Sciuire K was 

sonicwliat addicted tf» the use of profane language. It was his 
habit. The habit so fastened itself on him that he did not 
know he was profane. It is related that once upon a time dur- 
ing his magistracy there was a show in Morgantown, and if any- 
thing in the world will bring a crowd of people to Morgantown 
it is a show. This was a circus and menagerie combined, and 
was of unusual magnitude. There resided in and about Mor- 
gantown at that time a family named Bice, and one named 
Hopkins, who were celebrated fighters. These and other kin- 
dred spirits being tilled up with bad whiskey, attempted to enter 
the tent without pa^'ing, and on being refused admittance, un- 
dertook to clean up the showmen in a fisticuff. The showmen 
fought like desperadoes with crow-bars, picks, axes or any other 
weapons that were in their way, and thereupon ensued the most 
celebrated row that ever occurred in Morgantown. What added 
especial terror to the occasion, while men were being knocked 
in every direction and the women and children were screaming 
at the top of their voices, the shownu'U called out to the keep- 
ers to turn out the Bengal tigers. At this juncture 'Sijuire K — 
rushed uj)on the scene of action exclaiming, ''I command the 
peace in the name of the commonwealth?" whereupon a large 
knife swiping about his neck, inflicted an ugly but shallow 
gash extending from the region of the jugular vein clear across 
the windi)ipe. The valiant old officer of the peace threw up his 
hands in great alarm exclaiming, "May the Lord have mercy on 

my soul — some G — d d — d son of a has cut ni}- throat from 

ear to ear." 

LAWYEKS. 

After speaking of courts and justices of the peace, we come nat- 
urally to speak of the lawyers. 

Mr. G was, in his time, a pi'ominent lawyer of jNforgan- 

town; and while a num of education and refined manners, he 
was somewhat addicted to the use of "cuss-words." He was of 
generous disposition, but had a (piick tcm})er, which contributed 
still more to excite the merriment of even his best friends. INIr. 

G was unostentatious in dress and appearance though a 

man of wealth. He seldom carried money about his person, and 
it is said that it was his habit to purchase articles at the mar- 



kt-t or oil the street, earrv tliein home and then letiirn \Yith the 

money and pay tor tliem. It is related tliat Mr. G onee 

purehased rrt)m a eountrvman. f»n the street, two fine dressed 
fowls, and taking one in eaeh hand was about to carry them to 
his home under promise of returning with the price. The prac- 
tical joker was around about that time and whisi)ered to the 
countryman that possibly he did not know his customei-; that if 
he were allowed to carry away such A'aluablc propuity he would 
certainly not retui'u. The vendor of produce was alarmed at 
once and unceremoniously bawled: '"Say! you man, bring them 
turkeys b;u-k and li-avc lliem until you jiay for them I" This 
would have riled the temper of any good natured person, but it 

was beyond the endurance of the irascilde Mr. G . With 

all his might and main he threw the fowls upon the pavement 
and exclaimed as he walked away: "Damn your turkeys, I 
don't want them at all." While Mr. G was of (juick tem- 
per he was kind, warm-hearted and genial. When a rap was 
sounded upon hisofiicedoorit was answered with an absentmind- 
ed "come in." Another louder rap was answered with a pas- 
sionate "d — n it, come in and don't knock the door down." But 
when the embarrassed visitor stood upon his threshold, his gen- 
ial friendship and good humor soon relieved the visitor's embar- 
rassment and caused him to forget that there was anything un- 
civil in the invitation to come in. When an esteemed friend 
and relative about to leave his hospitable mansion had tethered 
liis l>east to the balustrade of the porch, and Ity dint of pure 
awkwardness had well nigh demolished it, a less passionate tem- 
per than Mr. G 's might be excused for expressing the wish 

that \iv should not have his house jiulled down over his head. 
But when his guest, in stammering apology, declared his act 
the extreme of awkwardness, and in the same breath said his good- 
bye, the response was characteristic of man, "Yes, yes. It was 
d — d awkward; good-bye, good-bye.'" 

It is sometimes as humorous to observe a person without a 

temper as it is to notice (me that is irritable, ("apt. F was 

a man of even temper. He was i)ro[)rietor (tf a Morgantown 
hotel and was deservedly popular. In conversation with a quar- 
relsome and abusive customer he was told in the most ottensive 
and insulting manner imaginal)le that he was a liar and a 
scoundrel. To whicii he lilandly replied. "Why, no, I ain't 
at all." 

Till- followinu is also related of an carlv iawver of Morgan- 



town, and an early coal dealer: 

Lawyer T had engaged his winter's coal of coal dealer 

I) . Now 1) had heen lVe(iuently charged with sundry 

tuihh's of false dealings, hut as no overt act could he hrought 
against him he again and again escaj)ed. His wagon lied was 
often believed to be insufficient to contain the mighty loads for 
which he charged, but proof of the shortage could not be found. 

T had engaged a large winter's supply and was careful to 

Jot down each day's delivery until the last load under the con- 
tract was driven into his coal yard. And he observed that 
from the first there was a diminution in the size of the 
loads, each subsequent load getting smaller. When the last 
load halted in front of the coal house the lawyer carefully in- 
spected it, and then enquired of D if this load was not 

smaller than the others? D replied no, that it was a full 

load and was as large as the others. "Well, well," said T 

"we will measure it," and turning to his trust}' servant bade 

him bring the measure and to the great consternation of D 

they })roceeded to measure the whole load, and it was taken as 
a standard by which to estimate the others, wherein' T gain- 
ed, and D lost a large quantity (»f coal. This incident has 

been cited as liome proof of the saying, "set a thief to catch a 
thief." 

Speaking of lawyers we are reminded to tell au anecdote that 
relates to'a lawyer of the present da}-. It tends to prove one of 
two things, either that Morgantown i)eople do not wear clean 
linen, or that the lawyer refered to is uncommonly fastidious. 

It is related that once lawj-er H was walking near the 

east end of the suspension bridge when a i>ortly countryman on 
horseback came from the west side, and riding up inquired of 

him if 111- was lawyi'r H . On receiving an inffirmative reply 

the countryman, wh(» proved to be one of the "big family of 
Tennants fntm up on Dunkard," burst into a loud hoarse laugh, 
which he kept up for several minutes without interruption or 

cessation. This seemed to Mr. II a rude performance and 

offensive to his professional dignity, so lie put in a demurrer in 
these words, "Sir, I am iinable to understand the cause of 
your merriment. If there is anything abont me to excite such 
laughter, I should like to know what it is." The countryman 
still convulsed with half sui)pres8ed laughter, rejjlied, "Wall sir 

old Mrs. . up at I'onetown gave me some money to pay to 

lawyer H , and I told her I didn't know lawyer H from 



a side (»f solo loatlior, and she just said to irive it to the first po- 
lite, >roo(l hioking man I met with a clean shirt on and I know'd * 
you wa"r tin- man soon as I seed you, ha, ha, ha I"' 

JIKOKS. 

M(»rirauto\vn has had some distinguished men to serve on the 
jury, as well as "of the quorum." An ex-judge of Monongalia 
relates that on one occasion the grand jury was lieing empan- 
elled, and when they were called up the clerk propounded the 
(juestion as required by law, "Are either of you a surveyor of a 
road, or owner or occujiier of a water-grist mill, or keeper of a 
hotel or tavern? Whereupon one of the panel "came to the 
front." Ih- said. "I guess not, but I am a class leader." The 
Judge said that being a class leader did not dis([ualify him, and 
he was sworn. 

It is told of a worthy citizen of Monongalia that, when a 
young man, he was serving upon a petit jury. The jury having 
retired to their room to consult of their verdict it was generally 
conceded that the plaintiti" should have a verdict for something, 
but they disagreed as to the amount. One said, "I favor giving 
him so much," »fcc. Some one turned to the juror referred to, in 
as much as he seemed quiet and unobtrusive, and inquired what 
amount he would indicate. His reply was, "well gentlemen, its 
my opinion that this business is somewhat of an imposition, but 
you may put me down for three dollars, and daddy and me will 
try and pay it." 

It is related of another of ^lonongalia's citizens that on ac- 
count of his legal lore and ability as a juror he acquired the 
title of Judge, though not a lawyer nor a judicial oflicer. It 
happened thus. He was serving on a jury of which all the 
jurors were favfrral)le to a verdict of accpiittal (or conviction I 
am not certain which) except himself, and the jury "hung." 

After the jury was discharged M declared that he had with 

him on that jury eleven of the most contrary, stubborn men he 
had ever seen in all his life. Afterwards tiiis cause, having 
gone to a higher court, was dfcidcd in accordanct' with his views, 

and thenceforth he became known as Judge M . 

roi.rnriANS. 

"Judge M " was once the candidate of the Whig i)arty for 

Legislative honors. The Democratic party being then in the 
ascendency the Whigs made an issue of reform and relied large- 
ly on the short comings of the Democrats. It happened that the 



98 

Dcinoci'ats lind :i mt'cting" one (l;i\ in Morgautown, and tlic Diin- 

ocratif oi'ators lia\inu' linishcd their spi-Cfhcs, ••.Judge yi ."* 

mounted the ntstnnii and [)i(i[i()sed addressing them from his 
standpoint. The Demoerats eommenecd lapiiUy to disperse, 
whei^eupon tiu- Wing eandidate ealled to them in tliese wc>rcls, 
'•Hold on there, you Demoerats. come Uaek here. I want to tell 
\du of some of your ornrines>."" My informant was a Demo- 
crat, and lie eould not tell wiiethei' the Democrats went liack or 
not, as he himself did not wait to see. 

In this eonni'etion another instance of lu'illiant stump oratory 
is in point. It is related of a Democratic candidate for the Leg- 
islatui'e. ami is said to have tians[)ired in Morgantown. An 
'•old war horse of Democracy" was addressing the assembled 
yoeinen on what a more recent ^Monongalia politician would term 
the'"tinacles"'(finances)of the country. Taking from his ^■est i)ocket 
a i-agged one dollar l>ill he held it up. telling them that this was 
the kind of money the oppositit>n party gives to the dear people, 
and spoke disi)aragingly of its fitness. lie then took from his 
[).»cket a large, bright piece of si)ecie, rang it upon the desk, and 
then holding it up said, ••This my fellow citizens air the cur- 
rency of the Dinnciatick paity. It has the ring of the genuine 
metal and has engraving upon it 'e pluribus in uno' which air a 
lating phiuise and which in the Anglo Saxion parlance means a 
free government economically administi'ated by the Dimicratick 
party." Il<' '^Jit <lown amid great applause. 

Morgantown has always iiad a small German eU'Uient in its 
po[)ulation, and it would l)e very strange indeetl if this element 
should not come to the front in politics. A german orator once 
went out from Morgantown to addi'css a political assemlilage in 
the country. In the course of his remarks he "let fly" at tlie 
opposition party in broken English in a manner that was "a 

caution to the natives." In the langnage of Judge M he 

ti>ld them of "some of their ornriness." After the meeting was 
adjourned the (rcrman st:itesman fell into conversation with a 
pel-son oi' llic opposing faith in politics, and he commenced apol- 
oLiizinu' lor tiu- severity of his remarks, saying tliat he was 
Hpt'aking ixtlitically and did not intend to be personally otfensive. 
"Oh that's all right," replied the other, "Yon spoke in Dutch, 
and I guess nobody understctod much of what you said anyhow." 

DOCTOltS. 

It wouhl be strange if practical Jokes were nt)l [ilaycd upon 



99 

the physicians of a town. Anionir the early pliysioians of ^For- 
gantowu was Dr. Charles MeLane, who located in the town in 
1828, and t-ontinued his practice here through about a half a 
century. lie was the inventor of the celebrated "Vermifuge" 
and "Liver Pills" that bore his name. He was skillful and 
obliging, and practiced over a large country. The most con- 
si)icuous traits of Dr. IMcLane's disposition were his kindness and 
his child-like simplicity. It is related that on one occasion as 
he was making a professional trip along a road that ran by the 
edge of a creek or deep stream, he came upon a robust looking 
individual sitting by the edge of the stream, apparently in great 
misery, for he was moaning at a great rate. The doctor, in his 
kind way, stopped and inquired the cause of his apparent suffer- 
ing, and was told that it was toothache. By request the doctor 
alighted and was proceeding to examine the tooth when the 
mischievous rascal, who was only feigning his sutfei-ing. closed 
his huge Jaws upon the doctor's lingers and held on like a luill- 
dog. He thought it a smart joke to thus punish the doctor for 
his kindness, but he mistook his man. The "Adam" was roused 
in the old doctor, and he leveled a Icft-lianded l)lo\v at the butt 
of his ear that )-elaxed the jaws of the "smart Alex" in a hurry, 
and sent iiini end over end into the creek. This anecdote fur- 
nishes a sample of the sort of people the early practitioner came 
in contact with. 

Dr. J was once a prominent physician and merchant of 

Morgantown. A man named Jake S once came to the office 

of Dr. J , stated the nature of his indisposition, and was fur- 
nished with medicine, which he took with him to his home in 

the country. The next day R , one of the greatest wags in 

the world, on his way to town met with Jake, who told him of 
his having been in town on the preceding daj' and getting medi- 
cine from Dr. J , which he said he had taken according to 

directions and was much relieved. R hastened on to 

Morgantown and went direct to Dr. J 's store. The Doc- 
tor was himself behind the counter, and R step|)ing up, said, 

"Dock, I came in for some burial clothes f(U" Jake S . I sup- 
pose you he;n"(l of his death?" ■•Why, no," replied tlie doctor, 
recalling the recent visit and i)rescription, "When did he die?" 
R replied gravely, "Last night. Sudden death." "Ah, in- 
deed I" said the doctor. "What in the woild was tlu- iii:itter 
with liimV" "Well," said R , still maintaining his serious- 
ness, "it is not known. He came to town vesterdav evening and 



100 

got sonic mc'dirine from soinebodv, and on g(ni\g honu- he took a 
dose of it ;ind sat down in front of tlu* liiv, and the first tlit* 
ftiiuily iiotici'il lie had faUcn over and was in sjiasnis. He tried 
to tell them somethinii' ahont the nuMlieine. and where he irot it: 
hut. poor fellow, he was too far yone. He choked np and died 
withont Iteinii' aide to speak."" The doetor"s mind heuaii to 1111 
with visions of jiroseciition for criminal carelessness, ».tc.. as he 
in(iuired if there was anythinu; on the medicine to indicate where 

it came from. "No," replied K . "1 believe not. They havi- 

some of the medicine and will have it analyzed, hut they have 
no idea where he <><)t it." "Ain't it astonishinji," said the doc- 
tor, "that people will give medicine in that reckless way";:' Such 
carelessness is criminal." "Dock, did Jake get any medicine of 

you yesterda}'?" inciuired R . At this point the doctor caught 

the smile on R 's face, and K , unable to control his ris- 
ibility, left the store room in time to escape the doctor's yard 
.^tick. 

PKEACHEKS. 

After relating one or more jokes on men of almost all other 
professions and callings, it would be irreverent to pass in silence 
the Ministers of the Ciospel. 

Morgantown boasts of some primitive pri-achers. The earliest 
seems to have been about the time of the Reformation, since an 
old citizen, it is said, is wont to claim that he was baptised in 
the Old Presbyteiian Church, when an infant, by Martin Luther. 

A number of the early settlers of Morgantown were of German 
birth. It is related that the pastor of a Morgantown congrega- 
tion (mce called upon an old German citizen and during the pas- 
toral visit the conversation was directed to the subject of read- 
ing the Bible. The minister spoke of a pious sister who delight- 
ed in reading the Scriptures, not meaning to draw any invidious 
comi>ari8ons but only citing an example, he said she read it 
more frequently than any other person he knew, having read the 
Bible through as often as three and four times in a j'ear. The 
old gentleman shook his head doubtingly as he said, "By Got I 
she must haf one of these leetle Bil)le8." 

A local preacher was once passing the toll gate at the suspen- 
sion l)ridge in company with his mother-in-law, who plumed 
herself on the acijuisition t(» her family of a "^linister of the 
Gospel." When they reached the toll gate she inquired of the 
toll gatherer if he charged Ministers of the Gospel toll, to which 



101 

tho liar<U'iHMl old gate ki'cj)C'r icplii-fl. "Oh I no we don't charuri' 

Ministers of the Gospi-l anytliing. l»ut wi- charge these d d 

little one horse preachers, though." 

The foUowing did not oeeui- in Morgantown l)ut in the"iii)i)er 
end ol" the county." An ex-Superintendent of Schools vouches 
for its trutli and tlie reas( n for relating it here is apparent. 

The preacher was making a pastoral visit at the home of a 
sister who had been but recently converted. The good man no- 
ticing that his convert was ill at ease in his society was desir- 
ous that her emiiarrassment should be overcome. Said lie: 

'•Sister, I notice that in addressing me you call me INIr. : 

since by faith we are now members of the same household, I ad- 
dress you as sister , and will you address me as brother — ?" 

The sister was greatly disconcerted, but l)lushingly replied: 
"01 h — 1 no: that would sound so d d silly." Another illus- 
tration of the force of habit. 

YE EDITOR. 

The following Joke on the editor is from Hon. J. J. Brown's 
Centennial address: 

"The Spectator was published al)out 1815 l»y William Mc- 
Granihan &: Co. Our old friend and fellow citizen, Nicholas li. 
Madera, whose stalwart virtues were honesty and want of sus- 
picion, was the mone^'ed partner of the concern and was seldom 
at the office. McGranihan, who was very intemperate in his 
habits, did the work. Regularly once a week, on the day the 
paper was struck oti", McGranihan called on "Uncle Nick" for 
money to l)uy whisky "to thin the printing ink." For a long 
time it was cheerfully furnished, until one day "Uncle Nick" 
concluded to visit the otlice and see how things were getting on, 
when his righteous soul was greatlj' vexed within him to find 
his working partner lying under the printing press dead drunk." 

EPICUREAN. 

Morgantowu has long been, and still is, noted for the hospi- 
tality of its citizens. 

"The various cares in one great point combine, 
The business of their lives — that is, to dine." 
In the days of "Auld Lang Syne" Roily Scott and George 
Hickman were among the practical jokers of Morgantown, and 
Mr. Scott was something of an epicure. He gave royal enter- 
tainments to his friends. The rarest of game was procured for 
his table, regardless of cost, and he delighted to experimentalh* 



102 

lost ttie (iiKilitit's of (liiforcnl kinds of meats. At one time iic 
would liave <ir<nind-h()<i. at another time opossum, and he is one 
of the few person.s of whom it ean l)e said tliat he "ate crow.'' 
William Snlyards. P^sq., was an eminent inm man in his day. He 
was tiie foreman of Clinton P\irnaee. It is said that Mr. Sal- 
vards was om-e entertained at the Scott mansi(m. and was at 
Iti-eakfast served with fried rats a la chinoise. The uneducated 
stomach of Mr. Salyards revolted. It is said that Hickman had 
a very fine fatted calf, and Scott was the owner of a lean, ill- 
favored calf. .Scott was frequently rallied Ity Hickman on ac- 
count of the ill-favored condition of his calf, and in order to get 
even with him Scott exchanged the calves, and blacking Hick- 
man's so it would not he recognized, employed the owner to 
hutcher it for him. After it was dressed he kindly sent Mr. 
Hickman a quarter of the veal. After that Hickman did not 
hesitate to steal Scott's poultry from his table whenever oppor- 
tunity offered, and it is said that not unfreriuently the roast dis- 
appeared from the spit and the ice cream from the freezer while 
Scott with his guests would be seated at the table waiting for 
the viands to l)e brought in. 

Speaking of ice cream calls to mind the primitive mode of 
manufacturing that article. The writer was told by an old citi- 
zen that he had seen it prepared in this way: The ice, being 
folded in a cloth, was pulverized by pounding it with a ham- 
mer. The cream was mixed with the ice, and sugar and flavor- 
ing were added to suit the taste of the customer. 

Man}' years ago Mrs. Mar}' Jarrett kept a hotel on the ground 
now occupied by the "Wallace House. She was a most excellent 
cateress and always entertained her guests in a very satisfactory 
manner. She was possessed of a weakness, common to some 
extent to her sex; she was fond of bi'ing flattered. She was 
es})ecially fond of having praise bestowed ui)on her table-fare. 
When she thought her coffee or tea was about as good as it 
could be made she had a haliit of lishing for a eonii)liment by 
speaking dis|)aragingly (if it. X guest was once seated at ]Mrs, 
Jarrett's table who was not just a common mortal, but of the 
hoi (trisloi and the good hostess was doing her best. A cup of 
coifee was passed to this guest which she knew was "A No. l." 
and thereupon she began a})ologizing for its quality. The 
guest took her at her word. He said "it is not as good as it 
might be." The disai)pointment was visible upon the counten- 



103 

anc'.o of the uoihI woman as she replied, "Nc), but it is Dot so liad 
eitlier." 

I.oVKKs" I.KAP. AND TIIK Sl'IKIT OF ONK UrNDKKI) VKAlv.S XCV. 

The towu (»!' Moriiautowu is hounded on tlie soutlieast hy 
l)eekei\s ereelv. On the side of the ereek next the town, and a 
sliorl distam-e from its juiietioii with tlie rivei-. is a liijj:h i)reei- 
|)iee known as "Lover's Leap." The deelivity for a eonsidera- 
lile distanee is abrupt. l)ut at the point called "Lovers* Leap"" 
the shelving rocks project to such an extent as to require a 
steady head to approach near enough the edge^to catch a glimpse 
of the water l)elow. The perpendicular height here is about 80 
feet. A narrow passage, as if hewn out of the rock, enables the 
adventurous explorer to pass underneath the promontory at a 
height of about half way up from the water's edge. Here is a 
favorite resort for the loiterer and pleasure seeker. Here also 
the school boy orator of West Virginia's Athens has often thun- 
dered his eloquence, sending it reverberating from the rock out 
into space. It is a pleasure to dream of tales of romance in con- 
nection with such a spot, whether such tales have any founda- 
tion or not. 

The name of the place suggests lovers and a dreadful leap. 
A thiilling tale of love must have suggested the name. Evcrv- 
Itody in or al)out Morgantown has heard tell of Mrs. Clause. 
Away l)ack at tiie very commencement of the century just clos- 
ed, Miciiael Clause and his charming frow came and settled 
here. They were Dutch people and they came across the "Itriny 
deep,"' it is said, in the same ship, in which came Michael Kern 

and Shock ley. who were among the very oldest settlers in 

the placi'. Mr. Kern liad his residence at the Beech iSpring near 
Kern's Fort, Mr. Sliockley at the property now owned by IVIrs. 
Cobun and Mein Ilerr Clause and his lovely frow had their dom- 
icile hard liy the Lovers' Leap," on the property now owned Vty 
Dr. .Joseph A. McLane. Ordinarily the heroine of a romantic 
story is introduced with a flourish of trumpets and with a pen 
picture of her charms, etc. It is only necessary here to state 
that the proprietress of the "Lover's Leap" was a woman of 
"spirit" — at least she dealt in ''spirits." All great reformers of 
the present day have their "barrels," and our "star eyed god- 
dess" had hers. Incredible as it may seem to thirsty souls of 
the present day, Mrs. Clause sold pure whisky at a fip-penny- 
bit" a pint. She is said to have boen a )»icture well-pleasing to 



10-i 

the sight of her fustomors as she stood iiol(lin<r the beverage 
rearward with one hand and extending the other, pahn upwards 
demanding in teutonie aecent, '"feep." The "feep" was a pre- 
re(iuisite to the delivery of the liquor. "While Mrs. Clause did 
business there her i»remi8es at the top of the cliff were, in warm 
weather, a sort of summer resort, where her guests and custom- 
ers enjoyed the cool shade, the bracing atmosphere and the life 
giving beverage, resort for hen-pecked husbands and such like, 
where peace abounded and the better emotions of love and friend- 
ship asserted their sway. An inspiration took hold of the affec- 
tion and there one loved in spite of himself. 

Two of Morgantown's prominent citizens sat in 'Mvs. Clause's 

rustic beer garden, nearly an hundred years ago, Mr. C and 

3Ir. T . drinking the insi)iration of the place and ^Irs. 

Clause's liquor at a "feep" a pint and Damon and PAtheas did 
not love one another with so ardent an affection as did these 
twain. The love of Saul and Jonathan was not "a circumstance" 
to theirs. They drank and embraced then einliraced and drank. 
Each expressed his kindl}' feeling for the other, and then they 
pledged their love in another bumper. As Mrs. Clause's "spir- 
its" went down, their "spirits" went up. In their mellow mood 
each observed that the other was in danger of going over the 
precipice and the heart of each yearned for the safety of the 
other. Each rushed to the rescue of the other and two heroic 
lovers grappled with each other, but despite their efforts they 
both went reeling over the hill, pell-mell into the creek. Of 
course they did not go over at the highest point or they would 
have been dashed to pieces. As it was a broken limb, a dislo- 
cated collar-bone some scratches and bruises were the result. 
Their delirious love and unsuple leap it is said, gave a name to 
the j)lace that is destined to remain forever, and it is but right 
that the memory of Mrs. Clause should be perpetuated along 
with it. 

But there is another reason why ^frs. Clause should not be 
forgotten. She was the first person who raised geese in this 
part of the country and to the enterprise and public spirited- 
ness of this good M'oraan may be attributed the fact that the 
name and fame of "Goosie" (now Front Street) went abroad 
over the land, 

Mrs. Sparks, the daughter of Mrs. Clause, now living in Mor- 
gantown, is 82 j^ears of age and has in her possession a feather 
bed made of feathers plucked by her mother from these primitive 



105 

geese near one hiindivd years ago. It is uiuloulilodly ^vhat she 
claims for it, the ohlest feather bed in West Virginia. 

The following is related of Mrs. Clause and one Zackwell Jol- 
litfe, of the now numerous family of Jolliffes in this county. 
JoUitTe was a merry fellow and Avas fond of liquor, Ijut did not 
always have the required "feep." On one occasion he appeared 
at ilrs. Clause's with two jugs, one of which he had taken the 
precaution to fill with water. The other ho ordered filled with 
whisk}-. The jug was filled, and contrary to Mrs. Clause's us- 
ual custom, was handed over in advance of paj'ment. JoUilfe 
then made known the fact that he was short of funds and could 
not pa}'. He was told that either the money must be paid or 
the whiske}' handed back at once. JoUiffe adroitl}- shifted the 
jugs and with feigned sorrow handed her the jug of water which 
she emptied into her whisky barrel and Jollifie went on his way 
rejoicing with his jug of whisky. Jolliffe afterwards justified 
his action b}- declaring that while he got the whisk}- ]Mrs. 
Clause was none the poorer for the quantity of liquor in her bar- 
rel was in no wise reduced. 

It is related of this same Zackwell Jollilfe-that owing to his ex- 
cessive indulgence in drink his friends had warned him that some 
day he would awake from a drunken sleep to find himself in anoth- 
er world. One day while lying asleep from the eflTects of drink 
some mischievious boys thought they would play a prank on the 
old man, so they piled straw around him and set fire to it. The 
flames burned entirely around him before he awoke. When he 
saw it he looked calmly about and then remarked, "Dead, and 
in hell, sure enough." 

THE LATE WAR AND THE REBEL RAID. 

Owing to the location of ^lorgantown with reference to the seat 
of war, the citizens of the town w-ere frequently excited over the 
news during the late "unpleasantness." They generally watch- 
ed anxiously for the coming of the mails, and eagerly opened 
and scanned the newspapers as soon as they were received. As 
there were always quite a large numlier of persons who did not 
take papers, but still wanted to hear the news, it was customary 
for one of those who took a paper to read, or to have some one 
read his i)aper aloud, to a group of listeners. It is not to 1)e ex- 
pected that everyone can pronounce all the words he meets with 
correctly, and it is not surprising if the pronunciation was in 
some instances orijjinal. It is said that on one occasion a citi- 



zc*n was'rcadiuii- of such and suc-li liattalliDns licing cnongotl in 
a liu'iit, ami it was noticed that lie pi'onouneed the word battal- 
i;in ••liattle hxm."" A liystander smiled as he in([iiire(l what 
those "djattle loons" were, and tlie leader was somewhat non- 
plussed at first, but after stopping- to wipe his si)e(tacdes witli 
the news|iaper he very gravely exphiineil. ••Wliy. they aix* sol- 
diers that go on foot and are armed with great hig l)attle axes 
and light like h — 1 and damnation." The explanation was sat- 
isfactory and reader proceeded. 

In April of 1863 Confederate soldiers made a raid into iMonou 
galia comity, and on the 2Tth of tliat month tC)ok possession of 
Morgantown. The people of tlic town were wild with excite- 
ment and fear. Some few fool hardy persons favored resistance, 
]>;it with most of them discretion was thought to be the better 
l).irt of vah)r. And many acting upon the theory that. 
"lie who fights and runs away. 
[May li\(' to fight another day" 
he:it a precipitate retreat to Pennsylvania. Many things occur- 
red on that day that in the light of sul)8equent events arc 
very amusiug. though too serious to be enjoyed at the time. 

Those who recollect Steven O. S and his better half, Mai-y 

Ann, can now take in the humoi- of the situation as they recall 
old "Uncle Steven." with his ponderous avordupois, hustling about 
with the agility of a su[)le-jaek superinduced by excitement and 
fear. Had the angel Gabriel stood before him, trumpet in hand. 
Uncle Steven would not have felt more sensil)ly the nrgency of a 
hasty marshalling of his offsets for the final account. His words 
used on that occasion have become memorable. As he waddled 
into the pi'esence of his wife he exclaimed: "3Iary Ann, so heli» 
me Ciod, the reliels are coming! Get down the Bible and have a 
word nf |(ra\t'r (piick. for they are coming and they are coming 
in power Mary Ann.'' 

They came "in power, ^larv Ann." and as tlu-y were approach- 
iu'^' the south side of the town a i)rominent citi/en on horseback, 
armed and eipiipi^'d for battle, rodt' up the Main street of the 
town exhorting his fellow citizens in these words: ''Fight "em 
boys, tight 'em to the ])itter end I" He stopped not, however, t() 
see how well his commands were o])eyed, and ere the rebel trooi)s 
had entered the town the prominent citizen had a fair start in 
the diri'ction of Pennsylvania. 

An e.x-.Iudge of the circuit court, who was then Judge and re- 
siding in Morgantown, relates that on hearing that the Confed- 



107 

eratos wcix' cinning, he saddknl hi.s h<ii>.o ;is hastily as possilile 
•lud was taking his departure in a nditherly direction as laiiidly 
as he couhl iiei-suade his okl family na<i' to gtt. He had passed 
but a short distance from the liorough limits when a young man 
on a loaming i-iiargcr passed him witli the rapidit}' of a wild 
locomotive, and as the young rider passed he called to the 
Judge, "IIurrN- u^), old fellow, the rebels will catch you." But 
"pride goeth before a fall." the liery animal making such fast 
time missed its footing, the saddle girth broke as it fell and the 
rider went headlong into the fence corner. As the Judge urged 
his plodding steed past the dismounted horseman he called to 
him to hurry up or the rebels would catch him, but does not 
know whether they did catch him or not. The Judge crossed 
Mason and Dixon's line in a hurr}' and that evening felt some- 
what in luck though "ousted of his jurisdiction.'" 

As the Confederates were approaching in the direction of 3Ior- 
gantown at a point near the residence of "Wm. Howell, on the 
Evansville pike in Clinton district, Lloyd Beall and Andrew 
Johnson, who were guarding their horses in that vicinity, are 
said to have tired at them and Beall's shot is said to have taken 
effect in the leg of a Confederate soldier. The unfortunate citi- 
zens were soon cai)tured and ordered to be shot. At the first fire 
Johnson fell dead, but Beall was only wounded. He was a cool, 
brave man, and it is said that he calmly took his pocket-hand- 
kerchief from his pocket and wiped away his lifVs blood as it 
flowed from the wound in his forehead. The second ball pierced 
his heart, and he, too, fell dead. 

Albert Rob}-, another citizen, was returning from the bhick- 
smith shop, and is said to have been in nowise connected with 
the alleged shooting, but coming upon the Confederates at the 
identical moment he was taken for a bushwhacker and was shot. 
When the first gun fired at him cracked he fell to the ground 
wounded, though not fatally, and feigning to be dead, he watched 
for an opportunity to crawl away and hide. He thus escaped, and 
though severely wounded, he recovered. The Confederate sold- 
ier who was shot in the leg, it is said, refused to remain behind 
for surgical treatment, and being carried a long distance with 
the army and without proi»ci' care, is said to have died from the 
efiects of till' w<tund. 

Lloyd Beall was the oldest son of the lati' ( 'ali'b Ik-all, who 
reside<l on the Kingwood pike, about four iniles south-west of 



Morj^anto^'u. The* fuinily aiv notiMl I'.r Licnial h(is[»italitC anl 
Uimlness as well as bravery. • 

AiKlrew Johnson was a great grand son of Green, who was 
liiiirdered hy the Indians near Kingwood in 178G. 

The objec-t of tliis raid seems to have been to eapture i)roi)erty, 
and espeeially h<»rse;^. When they occupied the town they 
showed no disposition to harass the people, l)ut diil not hesitate 
t > help themselves to such merchandise and go<)ds as the}- need- 
e I or could tind. On the se^-ond day, having evacuated the town 
long enc)ugh to induce many citizens of the place to return and 
some country people to come to the town under the sui)positiou 
that they were not going to return, a troop of about sixt}' Con- 
federate cavalry came suddenly into the two main streets of the 
town on a charge with cocked pistols in their hands, yelling like 
demons and commenced gathering up all the horses they could 
find. At this time several of the citizens, who were endeavoring 
to escape with their horses, were fired at but luckily none were 
injured. In a few minutes the whole command of about six 
hundred men occupied the town a second time. It is said that 
the General put guards over the drug stores and bars to keep the 
soldiers from getting whiskey, but that toward evening he left 
and some two hundred, who remained behind, got to the liquor 
and l)ecame quite mellow. The Monitor, published in Morgan- 
town at that time, says that "one soldier about half seas over, 
(a private in a Jelferson county company by the name of Bush- 
rod Washington and a son of Lewis Washington, one of the 
witnesses against John Brown) ai)ologized to the ladies for 
drinking so much stating that the whi.'^ky that tliey got here was 
so much Iteltci' than what they got in the ( onfederacy. that 
they could not restrain themselves. Upon being interrogated as 
to the age of their whiskey down south, he replied: "A week 
old, all to six days" 

The' following incident was related by a corrcspf>ndent of the 
Je/feraoiiiniK of Philippi, W. Va. published in Sei)tember 188:^. 

•Wluii Jones made his famous raid through Morgantown in 
I8(j:5, among the rebel otlicers was a handsctme young Lieutenant 
(jolonel in command of one of the regiments. As the battle- 
scarred veterans came trooping into the town from every quart- 
er, the people, (or ratiier the women, for the valient men of that 
loval and war-like town had lied leaving their wives and daugh- 
ters to the teiidi 1- uicriies of the famished rebel h(udc) poured 



109 

out into the streets to see whether Lee's fighting men \Yove horns 
or feathers. The Colonel, young and handsome, seeing- a bevy 
of young ladies on the corner near "Wallace's hotel. I'ode up to 
the curb-stone and politely lifting his slouch hat said: "We 
hoped to have the pleasure, ladies, of capturing a United States 
Senator in this town when we came here." One of the girls, a 
sprightly brunette, stepped toward and said. "And what would 
you have done with him had you been successful?" To this the 
Colonel rei)lied, "We would have treated him very kindly. Miss, 
and given him a free pass to Richmond, the Capital of the Con- 
federacy." To this the lady sharply replied, "You did not get 
him. did you? He was to smart for you. Why he has more 
sense than the whole rebel dynasty." The young officer again 
lifted his lu.t and asked if he might inquire her name. She re- 
plied that her name was Julia Willey, the daughter 'of United 
States Senator Waitman T. Willey. And so the bloody war 
went on, and the young lady is now the wife of State Senator 
Wm. C. McGrew and the young rebel officer is the Hon. Mr. 
O'Ferrel, a member of Congress from the Winchester District, 
in the old cavalier Commonwealth." 

The Mayor of INIorgantown, having no force for defense of 
course the town was surrendered on such terms as could be had. 
Safety for the lives of the people was promised, some property 
was destroyed and some taken by the soldiers. A tenement 
house on the lands of the late William Lazier, a short distance 
from town was burned to the ground. Fire was kindled on the 
suspension bridge, but fortunately for Morgantown the Confed- 
erates went away and the citizens succeeded in extinguishing 
it before much damage was done. 

John G. Gay, who was then Mayor of Morgantown. was a son 
of the late ]NLathew Gay, and was born and reared in the town. 
Having prepared himself by study for the ])ractice of law, he 
determined to make his home in Orcg(m. He was married June 
17, IS*).") to Miss Mary W. Simonson, of Connellsville, Pcnna.. 
and on the following day set out for the Pacific Coast via New 
York. Arriving at San Francisco they took passage for Oregon 
on the Steamer "Brother Jonathan." At noon on July 30th. 
when off St. George's Point, near Crescent City, California, the 
vessel struck a hidden rock, and in 45 minutes went to the bot- 
tom. The seas were heavy and though about two hundred souls 
were on board, onlv one life bojit with sixteen persons in it 



110 

re'Mclu'il tilt' slidiv. It is rc'latt'(l that Mi-, and ^fi's. fiay ran to 
a life-boat but it was so full that no nioif men wlm'o allowed to 
jret into it. Thi' devoted younii" wife threw her arms about the 
ni'ck of her liusliaml ;ind iiolily refused to leave him. Survivors 
say that when last seen tiiey weic standiui;- in eaeli others em- 
brace and went df)wn toirether. 

And now if any person shall have had the patience and perse- 
vn-ance requisite to reading tiiis paper through, he will be inter- 
ested to such an extent that lie will want to know the road to 
Morgantown. 

Tiie following directions in reference to finding the load are 
said to have been given to a stranger by a citizen of INIononga- 
lia county, who I'esided somewhere on the ^'iI•ginia P^nk of 
Dunkard more than half a century ago: 

It is a scene of actual occurrence and has lieeu in print several 
times and is therefore more than a thrice told tale. "Blink 
eyed Baldwin" has roasted his last plow share and "Dan Cake, 
the dog-shooter." has ceased to terrorize the canine tribe. The 
"Dowd niggers" have gf»ne to a country where slander suits are 
not brought and Ben. Shuman's i)ups have all lieen long since 
disjiosed of. 'i'he Tennants. however, still "hold the fort" on 
Straddler's and Jake's Kuns, and now as then, "it's Tennants 
here and Tennants there, and it's Tennants in everybody's 
mouth." 

But "by the grace of God," here is Bobbin Darrah. and the 
stranger inquires: 

•'.My friend can you tell me the road to MorgantownV" 

Koljbin Darrah. — (Throwing down an armful of chips wiiich 
he was carrying from the yard.)By the grace of God I can, as 
well as an\' man in the county, for I've been there myself You 
come past old Joel Tuttle's. didn't youV with his li}) sticken' 
out like your fool — the amiier runniii' oil' his \'\\> sullicient to 
swim ducks. He chaws tobacco, sir. 

Stranger. — I care nothing about him. I've "come past" there. 
I wish to get to Morgantown. 

Darrah. — "Well, you'll take up the hill past "ould blink eyed 
Baldwin's," all the l)lacksmitii we Iiave in this country — the 
eussedest iron roaster you ever saw in the daysof \-our lifi-. lie 
will burn uj) forty plow shares a year if you'll take 'em to him. 
A few days ago Jake — dang his name — and Bets — ding her — (I 
ean't think of either of their names) was runnin' off to get inar- 
I'ied over in Pennsylvania, and stopt at old "blink-eyed" Bald- 



Ill 

wiu's to git tlu'ir liDrses shod; hlowVl. and tliu devil a shoo \iv 
luade. and whether tliey got married or uol Tin not alth' to tell 
yoii. He's got a little old stewed up woman fur a wife alioiit as 
l)ig as yfmr fist — altont so high — and she keeps all the whole 
country in an uproar with her lies, running from house to house 
tattling, and she's got lier name up so that it's Mattie Baldwin 
here, and Mattie Baldwin's in e\ eryl)od_v's mouth, and there's not 
a law suit in the county hut wliat she's summoned as a witness 
fui' somebody, and whether she swears lies or not I'm not al)le 
to tell ye. l»ut I I)elieve she swears lies. You'll take down the 
hill from there to Dave ( 'hew's that married old Aaron Foster's 
widder. At first sight you'll think he's a nigger, but he's a 
white man, sir. You'll turn round his farm to the right ; that 
road will lead you to Dan Cake's, the dog shooter. He has kill- 
ed all the dogs in the country, so if ^you're afraid of dogs you 
needn't l)e alarmed, fur there's not a dog left to l)ark at ye, and 
it's Dan Cake here and Dan Cake there, and Dan Cake's in 
everv1)ody's mouth. He ought to be made pay fur the dogs, and 
I think he will afore he gets through with it. Tlie other day 
me and my son Joe was goin' round the field and up jumped a 
fox, and the dog took after it, and we've never heard of the dog 
or fox since till this day, and then the fox was about 350 yards 
ahead of the dog, and he hasn't got back yit, and I expect Dan 
Cake killed him. You just keep right down the run from there 
and you'll come in amongst the fattest, lustiest set of niggers you 
ever seen in all the days of your life. There name is Dowd, and 
its Dowd here and Dowd there, and the Dowds is in evervbodv's 
mouth, and I've one of the cussedest law suits with them you 
ever heard of in your life, and its all al)out slander, and ther's 
Tom P. Kay, the clerk of the court in Moi'gantown. and Edgar 
C. Wilson, tlir host lawyer in \'irginny. l)Oth says I'll beat them 
out as slick as a mole, and it's all about slandei', though I never 
slandered anybody myself. If 1 know anything against any- 
body I generally keep it to myself. You'll cross over a pint 
there and fall over on another run, and l)y turning to the right 
you'll cf>me down to old Bill Messer's. He married a >Htz and 
her name is Peg, and she's the cussedest woman to swear you 
ever heard in all your life, sir. Her hair sticks out like a scrul> 
broom. Slic dont romb it from one week's end to another, and 
it's Peg Messer here and Peg Messer there, and Peg Messer is 
in everyl>ody's mouth, and she can out swear Mattie Baldwin. 
You'll there turn to tlie left and that will take you up to a p'int 



112 

and you will fall over onto Jakt-'s i-uu — it used tf» be called 
Straddler's run — named after old Jake Straddler, in Indian 
times, and its settled with Tcnnants from head to mouth, and 
its Tennants here and Tennants there and it is Tennants in 
everybod^-'s mouth, and the}- are the cussedest set of men to 
light 3'ou ever saw in all your born da3-s; whenever thej' have a 
log rollin' or any coming together of the people, their jackets 
are off and the blood and snot a fl3-in' and all hollerin' "fair 
play.'' The father will fight with the son, and the son with the 
father, and brothers will fight one another. But there is old 
Enoch Tennant, stepping around with his head a sticking to one 
side. I believe he's the finest Tennant among 'em — but there's 
Black Ben, Pete Tennant's nigger, I'd like to forgot him — he is the 
onl}- white man amongst all of 'era. You'll turn up that Run by 
turning to the right — no road to turn you ofiT till you fall on the 
head of Little Pawpaw to ni}' son-in-law's, Ben, Shuman'e, one 
of the ugliest men 3-ou ever saw in your lifetime, and it's Ben. 
Shuraan here, and Ben Shuraan there, and Ben Shuman's in 
everybody's mouth — keeps the whole neighborhood in an uproar 
with his lies, I must saj- that Ben Shumau has the best breed of 
dogs in the country, and he's going to have a lot of young pups 
8o6n. My Joe spoke a pup, and Bill spoke a pup, and Bob 
spoke a pup, and Henr}- spoke another pup, but I 'low to go over 
day after to-morrow myself and buy the old mother and sell her 
to my brother-in law, Joe Koon, for a gallon of whisky or a 
bushel of corn. John Hood's got the best store in Blacksville. 
There's goin' to be a famine on this creek, for Shep. Lemasters 
and Joe Parks arc selling their corn out at twenty-five cents a 
bushel, and they'll have to give fiftj' cents for the same corn 
back agin between this and harvest, and Bill Lantz and Bill 
Thomas have got a barrel of whiskey apiece, are retailin' it 
out at a bushel of wheat to the gallon, and thej-'ll get all the 
wheat in this neighborhood, and that wheat will go from here 
to Waynesburg, and from there to Pittsburg, and I'm drawin' a 
pension at this time, and the devil and more right have I to it 
than you have, but there was old Andy Cobley and Jack Brook- 
over got me afore the 'Squire, and didn't care what I swore, so 
they got part of the money. All the exploit I ever done in my 
life was to kill my mother, and then the gun wx'ut off by acci- 
dent 

Stranger — Good day, sir. 

Mrs. Darrah. — Robin, the gentleman don't know no more 



113 

al)out the road now than it" you hadn't .said a word. 

Darrah. — Hold your tongue, old woman; by the grace of God 
he can't miss the way, and I know he recollects it, for he said 
good morning and I said good morning, and so we parted. 



114 



Its establishment as the County Seat of Monongalia County 
The Origin of its Municipal Government; Its Mayors, Trus- 
tees and Common Council, and other Municipal Officers 
Organization of Fire Companies, or other means for 
Extinguishment of Fires ; Matters of Interest from 
Records in relation to its Material, Moral and San- 
itary Improvements ; Years of marked Progress ; 
The Formation of Wards ; Suggestions as 
to its Government and Ordinances for 
the Promotion of the Welfare of 
its People in the Future. 
By L. S. HOUGH, ESQ. 



"A liundrcd years hciu-e what a cliaiiuc will he made. 

In politics, morals. I'eliiiion and trade. 

And statesmen who wranji'le, and ride on the I'eiiee. 

How thinn's will be altered a hundred years lienee." 
In reference to the lirst l>raneli of my subjeet I have to say, 
thai the lirst notice we have of "Morgan's town," being made the 
place of holding court — which it is fair to presume was its es- 
tal)lisliment as the county seat of this county — was in May, 
178;}, when an act was passed b}- the General Assembly "Be- 
gun and held at the Public Buildings in the city of Richmond 
on Monday the liftii day of ^lay in the year of our liord one 
thousand seven hundred and eighty-three, and in the sev- 
enth year of the commonwealth, as follows: 
CHAP. XVIII. 
An act authorizing the justices of the county of Monongalia 
to appoint a place foi' holding courts for the said county and 
for other [»urposes. 



115 

I. Wlicroas it is iviJi'useuted to this General Asseiiilily tliat 
b}" the extension of the line called Mason's and Dixon's line, 
the court house of Monongalia county has fallen into the State 
of Pennsylvania, and that the house of Zackwell Morgan is con- 
veniently situated for the present holding of courts; 

II. Be it therefore enacted, that the justices of the said county 
shall, and they are herebj' authorized to hold courts for the 
said county at the house of the said Zackwell Morgan, at the 
time appointed by law, until a court house shall be erected. 
And whereas since the extension of the said line, the justices of 
the said count}- have adjourned to, and held their courts at sev- 
eral places within the county, and it is reasonable that their 
proceedings should be confirmed; 

III. Be it therefore enacted, That all judgments obtained, 
and other proceedings of the said court, had or done at the 
places to which the said adjournments were respectively made, 
shall be deemed as good and valid in law in like manner as if 
the same had been done at a place legall}' a})pointed for the 
holding of the court of the said county. 

IV. And be it further enacted. That the justices of the said 
county, or a majority of them, shall, and they are hereb}' author- 
ized and empowered, to meet at some convenient place in the 
said count}-, w-ithin six months after the passing of this act, and 
agree upon a proper place for holding the court of the said 
county; and they are hereby- authorized and empowered to pur- 
chase a seat of land not exceeding ten acres for the purpose of 
erecting a court house, jail, and other necessary public build- 
ings, and to lev}- the money necessary for that purpose; also for 
the purpose of erecting such buildings, on the tithable persons 
of the said county, in the same manner as other county levies." 

(See Herring's statutes at large. Vol. XI, pages 255-256.) 

THE ORIGIN OF ITS MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT. 

The origin of its municipal government, commenced with its 
establishment as a town, which was by an act of the Legislature 
of Virginia, passed in October, 1785, and in the 10th year of the 
Commonwealth, which act, so far as relates to said estalilish- 
ment, is as follows: 

Chap. XCVII; "An act to establish a town on the lands of 
Zackwell Morgan, in the county of Monongalia." 

1. "Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That fifty acres 
of land, the property of Zackwell Morgan, lying in the county 



iin 

of MoiKniualin. slinll In-, and tlii'V arc- lu-ivhy invested in Sam- 
uel Ilanwav. .lolin Kvans, David Scott. Miehuel Kearnes aud 
James DaujilK-ity. trustees, to l)e by them, or any three of them, 
laid ort" into lots of half an acre each, with convenient streets, 
wliicli shall be, and the same are hereby established a town by 
the name orMor<ian's town."" 

(See Herring's statutes at large, Vol. 12, pages 212-21:!.) 

Trustees for said town were also i»rovided for by act of the 
Legislature of Virginia, passed February 7, 1810, and t(t be five 
in number, and elected by the freeholders. By acts of said Leg- 
islature, passed resi)ectively January 0, 1816, and January 4, 
1822, (see same.) Those trustees had the right to levy a tax 
not exceeding a fixed rate. The town was incorporated on the 
3rd day of February, 1838, as "The Borough of Morgantown," 
and seven trustees to be elected annually by the male house keep- 
ers and owners of real estate in said town, being citizens of 
jNIonongalia county, of the age of twenty-one A'ears, and up- 
wards, who were to meet annually at the court house in said 
town, (m the first Monday in April, and under the superinten- 
dence of a magistrate of said county and elect viva voce, seven 
persons as trustees, who shall be free holders in said town. 
(See acts of Assembly 1838, Chap. 279, pages 204-5.) Subse- 
quently, by an act passed ^larch 20, 18G0, an amended charter 
was granted by the Legislature of Virginia, under which a 
Mayor, Sergeant, five Councilmen and a Recorder have been 
elected annually. This last named act of incorporation greatly 
enlarged the powers and duties of said corporate authorities, 
and is the same charter under which said town is now governed. 
(See acts Legislature of Virginia, Chap. 202, pages 379.) 

The olficers of said town have been, and are as follows, so far 
as disclosed by an^' and all sources accessible to me: 

First, The trustees hereinbefore named in the act of October 
1785. From Wiley's history of ^Monongalia county, page 577, I 
extract the following for years 1810 and 1828: 

TKUSTEES. TUL'STEES. 

1816. 1828. 

J. A Shackelford, Matthew Gay, 

Rawley Phans, L II. McGee, 

A. Werninger, E, M. Wilson, 

John Shisler, J. A. Shackelford, 

N. B. Madera, N. B. INIadera. 



117 



TUr.STEKS — KKCtM KKCUKDS OK SAID TOWN. 



1838. 
Williain Lazier, 
W. T. WiUey. 
Kol.t. P. Ilennen, 
Elias Stilwell, 

F. A. Deriug, 
Tlioiniis P. Ray. 

1839. 
William Lazier, 
Thomas P. Ray, 
Reuben B. Taylor, 
Roht. P. Hennen, 
W. T. Willey, 
John Ilanway, 
Wm. yi. Bering, 

1840. 
Reuben B. Taylor, 
Henry Lazier, 
Francis Madera, 
Thomas P. Ra}-, 
Charles McLane, 

1841. 
Reuben B. Taylor, 

G. R. C. Allen, 
Michael Shisler. 
Francis Madera, 
Mcnrv Laziei-, 
John Ilanway, 
Thomas P. Ray. 

1842. ' 
George Kramer, 
N. B. :NIadera, 
John Hanway, 
Hugh Daugherty, 
Martin Callendine, 
G. R. C. Allen. 

1843. 
Matthew Ga}', 
Caleb Dorse}', 
Alex. Haves, 



Williain Lazier, 
Geo. I). Evans, 
Josiah W. Saer, 
Isaac Cooper. 

1845. 
G. R. C. Allen, 
Alexander Hayes, 
Iluuh Daugherty, 
John Ilanway, 
Charles McLane, 
N. Pickeni)augh, 
Francis Madera, 

1846. 
N. Pickenpaugh, 
Charles McLane, 
Geo. D. Evans, 
A. S. Vance, 
R. L. Berkshire, 
John Watts, 
M. Callendine. 

1847. 
George Hill, 
F. A. Dering, 
Charles McLane, 
Geo. M. Hagans, 
Alex. Hayes, 
S. Pickenpaugh, 
Michael Shislei-, 

1848. 
Michael Shisler, 
Fiancis Demain, 
F. A. Dering, 
David C. Chadwick, 
John Watts, 
Alexander Hayes, 
Wm. Durbin, 

1849. 
Henry Dering, 
William Lazier, 
David H. Chadwick, 



.Micliacl ShisK^r, 
Elias .Stilwell, 
John Hanway, 
Nicholas Pickenp'gh. 

1850. 
Caleb Dorsey, 
James Johnson, 
A. S. Vance, 
Alex. Hayes, 
3Iichael Shisler, 
Wm. 'M. Evans, 
Francis Demain, 
R. L. Berkshire. 

1851. 
Elias Stilwell, 
Henry Daugherty, 
E. C. Lazier, 
David B. Lynch. 
John R. Drabell, 
John E. Fleming, 
R. L. Berkshire. 

1852. 
Isaac Scott, 
John R. Drabell, 
David H. Chadwick, 
I). B. Lynch, 
John E. Fleming, 
James Protzman, 
K P. Fitch. 

1853. 
Geo. S. Ray, 

D. B. Lynch, 
Isaac Scott, 
Manlitl" Haves, 
John R. Drabell, 
Henry Daugherty, 

E. P." Fitch. 

1854. 
Geo. S. Ray, 
Isaac Scott, 



IS 



K. \\ Fiuh, 
.Iclin K. Drabell, 
Kinsey FitV, 
Kolit. P. lleniu-n, 
Finiiris Madera. 

1855. 
Isaac Scott, 
John R. Drabell, 

E. P. Fitch, 
K. Fife, 

F. ^ladera, 

R. P. Hcnnen, 
Geo. S. Ray. 
18.56. 
Isaac Scott, 
James Odbert, 

1860. 
D. H. Cniadwick, 
Wm. A. Hanwaj',] 
Robt. P, riennen, 
Mathew Gay, 
George Kiger. 

1861. 
D. II. Chadwick, 
Wm. A. Hanway, 
F. A. Dering, 
Geo. R, Dering, 
Robt. P. Hennen. 

1862. 
8. Pickenpaugh, 
Wm. A. Hanway, 
Robt. P. Hennen, 
F. A. Dering, 
Geo. R. Dering. 

186.3. 
D. H. Chadwick, 
Wm. A." Hanwaj', 
F. A. Dering, 
Jacob Kiger. 



K. V. llcimcn, 
Jacob Kiger, 
Daniel Fordyce, 
31. Shislcr, 
E. P. Fitch. 

1857. 
William Lazier, 
Isaac Scott, 
Henry Dering, 
John Wallace, 
Philip Rogers, 
Daniel Fordyce, 

E. P. Fitch. ' 

1858. 
Francis Madera, 
David G. Thompson, 

COUKCILMEN. 

1864. 

James C. Wallace, 

F. S. Dawson, 
F. M. Durbin, 
Henry M. Morgan, 
Geo. W. Johnson. 

1865. 
Geo M. Hagans, 
Wm. H. Staggers, 
Alex. Hayes, 
Jacob Kiger, 
H. D. McGeorge. 

1866. 
H. M. Morgan, 
Geo. C. Sturgiss, 
N. B. Madera, 
L. S. Hayes, 
John C. Wagner. 

1867. 
F. W. Thompson. 
Jacob Kiger, 
Daniel Fordyce, 
James A. Davis, 
James M. Shank. 



Manlirt' Hayes, 
R. L. Kerkshire, 
A. ( '. Dorsey, 
( harlfs W. Finnell, 
L. S. Hough. 
1859. 
M. Callendine, 
F. A. Dering, 
Alex. Hayes, 
D. H. Chadwick, 
W. A. Hanway, 
R. L. Berkshire, 
M. M. Dent. 



1868. 
F. A. Dering, 
Wm. N. Jarrett, 
John Protzman, 
Robt. P. Hennen, 
T. Pickenpaugh. 

1869. 
Jacob Kiger, 
Lewis S. Hayes, 
James M. Shank, 
Wm. N. Jarrett, 
James C. Wallace. 

1870. 
F. W. Thompson, 
L. S. Hough. 
J. J. Fitch, 
Geo. C. Sturgiss, 
F. M. Durbin. 

1871. 
F. W. Tiiompsou, 
L. S. Hough, 
F. M. Durbin, 
H. M. Morgan, 
D. H. Chadwick. 



110 



1872. 
D. H. Chadwiek, 
L. S. Hough, 
F. M. Durhiu, 
F. W. Thompson, 
Win. N. .larrett. 

1873. 
D. H. Chadwick. 
L. S. Hough, 
Wm. N. Jarrett, 
Ed. Shisler, 
Geo. W. McVicker. 

1874. 

D. H. ("hadwick, 
L. S. Hough. 
Matthew Hennen, 
Ed. Shialer, 

H. W. Brock. 

1875. 

L. S. Hough, 

E. H. Coombs, 
W. A. Robison. 
Geo. ( ". Sturgiss. 
H, W. Brock. 

187(5. 
L. S. Hough, 
W. A. Robisou, 

F. W. Thompson. 



Jos. Morchinil 
11. >V. Brock. 

1877. 
F. \V. Thomijson, 
Henry S. Hayes, 
Albert Madera, 
Samuel Sears. 

1878. 
Geo. W. John, 
Geo. W. McVicker. 
F. K. 0"Kelley 
N. N. Hort'man. 
Beuj. M. I)orse\*. 

1879. 
Geo. W. John, 
F. K. O'Kelley, 
Geo. W. McVicker. 
X. N. Hort'mau, 
Benj. M. Dorsey. 

1880. 
F. K. O'Kelley, 
F. W. Thompson, 
Beuj.M. Dorsey, 
Henry S. Hayes, 
Manlirt" Hayes. 

1881. 
T. Pickenpaugh, 



K. W. S. Dering, 
N. N. Hortinan, 

1882. 
.Jos. A. McLane, 
Beuj. M. Dorsey, 
T. Pickenpaugli, 
E. W. S. Dering, 
N. N. Hortinan. 

1883. 
Jos. A. McLane, 
T. Pickenpaugh, 

E. W. S. Dering, 
N. N. Hottman, 

F. A. Hennen, 

1884. 
Jos.A. McLane, 
T. Pickenpaugh, 

E. W. S. Dering, 

F. A. Hennen, 
N. N. Hort'man. 

1885. 
Jos. A. McLane, 
T. Pickenpaugh, 

E. W. S. Dering 

F. A. Hennen, 
N. N. Hortinan. 



Beuj. 



I860.— Philip Rogers. 
1861.— Isaac Scott. 
1862-3-4.— John G. Gay. 
1865.— Wm. Lazier. 
1866.— J. M. Hagans. 
1867.— John C. Wagner. 
1868.— F. W. Thompson. 
1869-70.— J. M. Hagans. 
1871.— John H. Hort'man. 

1860-1-2.— Manlitr Hayes. 
1863-4-5.— Manliir Haves. 



M. Dorsey, 

MAYOKS. 

1872-3-4.— Joseph Moreland. 
1875.— E. Shisler. 
1876-7.— Wm. C. McGrew. 
1878-9.— Joseph Moreland. 
1880.— Jesse J. Fitch. 
1881-2.— Manlirt' Hayes. 
1883.— Manlirt' Hayes. 
1884.— John C. Wagner. 
1885.— John C. Wagner. 

RECOKDERS. 

1866-7.— Manlirt' Hayes. 
1868.— James A. Davis. 



120 



1860.- 

1870-1 

1872-3 

1874.— 

1875-0 

1860.- 
1861.- 
1862.- 
1863.- 

1864- 
1865.- 
1866.- 
1867.- 
1868.- 
1869.- 

1870.—, 



-Geo. W. McVicker. 
— F. A. Dering. 
— Charles McLane. 
C. W. Finiioll jr. 
— W. W. Deriiiii. 



A. C. Pickenpaugh 
John S. Bering. 
James Johnson. 
James F. Snider, 
F. K. O'Kelley. 
James F. Snider. 
•N. S. Evans. 
James M. Shank. 
John W. Madera. 
A. Jenkins. 
Alonzo Finnell. 
Joseph Dawson. 
Jacob S. Shisler, 
John Watts. 



1877 
1881- 
1883. 
1884 
1885 
Sergeants. 
1871 

1872 
1874. 
1875, 
1876 
1877, 
1878 
1880 
1881- 
1883. 



8-9-80.— J. W. Madera. 
5 _Wm. Moorhead. 
— Wm. Moorhead. 
— Wra. ^looi'head. 
— Wm. Moorhead. 



, — Jacob Kiger, 

James Odbert. 
-3. — James Odbert. 
— Jacol) Kiger. 
, — Uriah Rider. 
, — Chas. Chalfant. 
— Wm. N. liricker. 
-9.— C. A. Madera. 
— C. M. Chalfant. 
2. — Alfrey Carraco. 
James R. Hopkins, 
Asst. Chas. Shisler. 
1884. — Andrew Kiger. 
1885.— Jacob Stine. 



TIIEASUIIEUS. 

1878.— Geo. W. John. 
1881.— N. N. Hotiman. 
1882.— N. N. Hoffman. 
1S83.— N. N. Hotl'man. 
1884.— N. N. Hoffman. 
1885.— N. N. Hoffman. 



1868.— T. Pickenpaugh. 
1869.— Wm. N. Jarrett. 
1870-1.— F. M. Durbin. 
1874.— E. Shisler. 
1875. — Geo. C. Sturgiss, 
1876. — Jos. Moreland. 
1877.— F. W. Thompson. 

Since the establishment ol" this town in October, 1785, to the 
present time, there has been no regular organization of "Fire 
Comi)anies." The town authorities many years since purchased 
l)uckets, ladders and hooks, which are used — when necessary — 
for tlie extinguishment of fires. The town has also erected a 
liouse in which these things are kept; and in their day have 
done good service. The town lias generally relied on the volun- 
tary' exertions of the citizens, aided bj' the ladies, and in no 
single instance has there been any disappointment. As soon as 
an alarm of fire has been given the citizens rush to the scene of 
action, and by well directed, and industrious effort, the fire, 
great or little, is soon extinguished. From the fact that apparatus 
for the purpose has not been purchased, I have concluded that 



Till- fon'troiiisf [)iig<'s liiiving rciiiainod in tli<' haiids of th<' 
printer for near ten yours, it has been tliought best to pul)- 
lisli them without further coniment than to say the work of 
completing the publication as contemplated originally has 
gone by default. Some of the papers included in the pro- 
gram were not completed to the satisfaction of the authors 
and consequently the manuscript was never furnished to the 
printer. Most of the manuscript of the other i)apers has 
l)een "lost, mislaid or stolen" and it is thought best to give 
this fragment of the work to the public, as it is, without com- 
inent. [Editor.] 




014 440 509 2 




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